All That You're Used To
by ScruffyLovin
Summary: Slight AU. After losing his adamantium, Wolverine goes feral, leaving Ororo to pick up the pieces. She struggles to get him back to being the Logan she knows and loves at a time when she needs him the most. RoLo.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **After losing his adamantium, Wolverine goes feral, leaving Ororo to pick up the pieces. She struggles to get him back to being the Logan she knows and loves at a time when she needs him the most. RoLo.

**Timeframe: **AU. Hank is around, but there are no new students.

**Genre: **Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Family, Romance

**Note: **This is NOT going to be a re-do of the storyline in the X-Men/Wolverine comics of the 90s. I'm just using the general idea as a simple base, but completely reimagining the concept for the most part. This is also going to be more of a RoLo drama/love story rather than something significantly plot-based.

**All That You're Used To**

**Chapter One**

It had been almost three months since Magneto ripped the adamantium from Logan's bones, and just a few days since the feral mutant had been captured by Sabretooth and brought to that creepy doctor from Weapon X in an attempt to re-fuse the indestructible metal to his skeleton. The attempt had been unsuccessful, Logan's regressing body rejecting the metal, forcefully expelling it from his pores with such force that the shrapnel-like shards ended up killing the evil doctor.

The X-Men had managed to rescue Logan from his captors, but it had been too late. Ororo had been shocked to see the man she loved had regressed even further than before Sabretooth's capture. He was snarling and hunched over on all fours, all bulging muscles and hair, with longer fangs protruding from an under bite he hadn't had before—more animal than man. Logan was completely feral, and looked as though he'd nearly doubled in mass, appearing almost as big as Beast himself!

They'd gotten him in the Blackbird and to the mansion with difficulty, but once there he'd refused to come inside. Instead Logan prowled the grounds day and night, not daring to get close to those he very much considered friends and family. That had been three days ago, and it broke Ororo's heart to know he was in such turmoil.

"Ororo?"

She drew back from the common room window slowly and reluctantly, turning with a sigh to come face to face with Henry, his expression filled with concern. "He's out there, watching, but keeping his distance," she murmured softly, gazing at her friend with such sadness in her heart. "I can sense him through my connection with nature." Sighing, she moved further from the window, arms dangling dejectedly by her sides.

"Would you like some tea?" Hank asked kindly, trying to draw her attention from the window.

Ororo let out a ragged breath and shook her head, offering her friend a sad smile as she strode passed. "No, thank you, Henry. I think I'll just be going to bed now."

Retreating to the attic loft in which she and Logan had both moved into after their wedding over a year ago, Ororo closed the door and swiftly moved toward the large windows that overlooked the grounds. She opened them wide, peering out into the dark and closing her eyes as she allowed herself to naturally get in tune with the summer night breeze. Stretching out her arms, she felt the breeze blow across every rock and blade of grass, between trees and over water. And if she concentrated hard, stretching her link with nature as far as her mutant ability would allow…she could just barely sense…yes, it was Logan. Ororo couldn't pinpoint him precisely, she was no telepath after all, but she could sense that he was there, by the way the night air swirled around his stocky body, and in a small way that thought alone comforted her.

Changing into a long nightgown and turning out the lights as she climbed in bed beneath a thin blanket, Ororo imagined that Logan was perhaps looking up at their window, thinking of her. She'd even left the balcony doors open like she had the last few nights, hoping, thinking that maybe—just maybe—he would find his way back to her.

.

Awoken by the sound of ragged, growly breathing, Ororo opened her eyes to a dark, moonlit room, trying to keep her own breathing soft and steady. She knew it could only be Logan in the loft with her, and didn't want to chance startling him with any sudden movements. By now she guessed that his acute senses had picked up on the fact that she was awake, but still Ororo tried not to react the way she truly wanted to—which was to sit up and wrap her arms around her husband, to hold him tight and not let him go.

Unable to stop the sudden tear that spilled down her cheek, Ororo heard Logan's heavy breathing change slightly; he sniffed loudly a few times, and she felt as the bed was jarred slightly, the wooden footrest giving a groan of protest as Logan's considerable weight perched upon it.

Turning over onto her side slowly, Ororo cautiously peered at the large, shadowy mass at the foot of her bed. Logan was hunched there like some sort of protective gargoyle, watching over her. Despite worry over her husband's current feral mind state, the Weather Goddess was convinced that at least some part of him still knew who she was, and what she meant to him.

_"Hrrrr?"_ Logan rumbled unsurely as she faced him. He leapt down to the floor with surprising grace, landing with barely a sound and crouching on all fours.

_"Logan…" _Ororo spoke softly, hesitantly. She wasn't even sure his feral mind could understand her at the moment. _"Logan, please stay." _Tears gathered in her eyes once more.

He moved about peculiarly, and she froze as he neared the head of her bed, leaning forward and sniffing at her before leaving her line of sight and moving around on the floor.

After a moment she heard him settling, and quietly leaned over the edge of the bed, the light from the moon showing her feral husband curled up on the area rug like a dog. Ororo wished that he would at least lie on the bed with her, but right now that was probably asking too much. For now she would just be happy that he was physically closer to her than he'd been in days.

Ororo closed her eyes, listening to Logan's gruff snores from the floor and dreaming that perhaps he was slowly making his way back to her—mind, body, and soul.

.

Stretching languidly, Ororo smiled as she felt the warm morning sunshine on her face, smelled the fresh summer air coming in through the open balcony doors. As her mind slowly became more awake, she remembered. Logan!

Opening her eyes, Ororo sat up and quickly slid over to the edge of the bed to peer down at the floor where he'd been sleeping. He was gone. She frowned, flinging her feet over the side of the bed and leaning over with her head in her hands. Had it only been a dream? Her heart cried out to him.

_"Oh, Logan…" _she murmured mournfully, feeling the warm sunshine fade, only to have dark clouds take its place as a steady rain fell from the sky. Ororo was quite aware that the abrupt change in weather was her doing and she ought to rein in her emotions, but at the moment she didn't care. She was torn.

_"Rrrraaaarg."_

Ororo's head snapped up at the sound of the disgruntled growl, and she turned toward the balcony doors as a very wet Wolverine hopped down from the heavy stone railing and entered the loft. He padded inside slowly on all fours and gave himself a shake, spraying water everywhere. Ororo lifted an arm in a weak attempt to shield herself. "Logan," she chastised automatically.

He just blinked at her with black eyes and moved toward her. Logan gave her a cursory sniff and then tilted his head, brows furrowed. Ororo barely moved as he inched closer for a more thorough perusal of her scent.

"Hrr?"

"What is it, Logan?" she tried softly, confused by his examination of her. She felt his cheek brush her shoulder as he continued sniffing all around her. "Logan, it's me—Ororo," she insisted lovingly, concerned that he wasn't appearing to recognize her. At least, that's what she thought.

Before she had a chance to further contemplate Logan's odd behavior, a wave of nausea washed over her and she lurched forward, staggering to the bathroom. She dropped to her knees and began heaving into the toilet, hoping she hadn't scared her feral-minded husband away with the abrupt actions.

Leaning over the toilet as she caught her breath, grimacing at the foul taste in her mouth along with the lingering nausea, Ororo turned to the door when she heard a low, guttural sound. An alarmed-looking Logan was crouched just in the doorway to the bathroom, leaning forward on the tips of his fingers, nostrils flaring. She held up her hand as he started anxiously rocking forward and back; he was jittery, on edge. "Logan, it's alright. I'm just a little sick."

_"Nnn…" _he made another low noise from deep within his throat, sharp eyes firmly fixed on her.

Ororo wasn't unnerved by his stare, quite the opposite; she was intrigued. Her husband was behaving more like a dominant male concerned for his mate, rather than the piercing, predatory look she'd noticed he sometimes got around others recently. This behavior most definitely fueled Ororo's theory that Logan—_her Logan_—was still in there. He still had some measure of control, she was certain.

Sure that she was finished vomiting now, Ororo flushed the toilet and pushed to her feet, staggering to the sink to rinse her mouth and brush her teeth. Logan continued to hover anxiously in the doorway, as though afraid of moving into the confined space or even of getting too close to her. It was like he wanted to be close, but wouldn't allow himself to.

Ororo finished brushing her teeth and stood leaning against the counter for a moment, trying to force back another wave of nausea. She'd been feeling a little sick on and off for weeks, but kept dismissing it as symptoms of stress due to what was going on with Logan and everything. Now, though, she wasn't so sure. Logan's senses were advanced, and with the way he was acting around her, Ororo suspected that he could _smell _the sickness on her, and that was the reason behind his strange behavior. Maybe she ought to let Hank check her over, she considered worriedly.

Logan ambled backward a few steps as Ororo left the bathroom and went to retrieve some clothes. Maybe a hot shower would make her feel better, she thought. As she gathered her things and returned to the bathroom, Ororo stopped just in the doorway and turned to look at Logan, crouched just five feet away from her. He was filthy and barefoot, wearing nothing but the same pair of tattered jeans he'd worn for days, and she wished she could convince him to join her for a shower, or take one by himself, but knew that probably wasn't going to happen. At least her earlier rain shower had cleaned him up a _little _bit. But now he just smelled like a wet dog. Ororo wasn't too concerned over the smell though, she was just glad that he was willing to be near her.

Logan ambled forward slightly with his hands on the floor, lifting his chin and sniffing.

Ororo gestured inside the bathroom. "I'm just going to have a shower, Logan. Will you stay? Please?" She was worried he would take off on her and she wouldn't see him again for a few days.

He lowered his chin and cautiously crawled backward a few steps, keeping his dark eyes on her.

Hoping he understood what she was asking, and that he wouldn't disappear, Ororo walked further into the bathroom and closed the door all but a crack. She turned on the water and undressed, quickly getting under the spray.

.

The soothing water from the shower had left her feeling a little better, and as she stepped out from behind the curtain, Ororo gasped, nearly jumping backwards in surprise when she saw Logan's massive form perched on the closed lid of the toilet seat, watching her.

_"Goddess! _Logan, you startled me!" She reached for her towel and wrapped it around herself, but her feral husband was just as startled and quickly hopped down from his perch, loping out of the bathroom on all fours like a scolded dog. Ororo shook her head with a troubled frown and put her hand to her forehead, holding back tears. The regressed feral behavior her husband was exhibiting was very distressing to her.

Feeling overemotional, Ororo tried to reign herself in as she heard the thunderclaps outside as the storm clouds rolled in. She dressed quickly and then ventured slowly into her room, not wanting to startle Logan again.

She found him out on the balcony, crouched on the railing despite the storm outside, and staring into the bedroom. Ororo worried about him being out there in such temperamental weather, and tried to calm herself enough to lessen the intensity of the storm. She carefully approached the balcony doors. "Logan? Logan, I'm going to see Hank alright?"

He straightened slightly from his precarious crouch, head tilting, alert.

Ororo gestured to the door. "You could come with me?" She moved away from the balcony, but didn't honestly expect Logan to follow her. He didn't. Sighing, she continued on her way with a heavy heart, and a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach that had nothing to do with nausea.

.

**Note: **Thanks for reading this first chapter! There is more to come, and the following chapters will also be longer than this one. I'm going to try and update once a week, and will pick a day once I figure that all out. Hope I've hooked some readers! :) Reviews greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: **Thanks everyone for all the reviews, story alerts, etc! And because you're all so awesome I decided to make Saturday my update day, so you get a new chapter already, and this one is extra long! The chapters will all pretty much vary in length, but this one I just couldn't break up into two chapters. So, enjoy! :D

**Chapter Two**

"Henry?" Ororo found the blue-furred doctor hidden away in the mansion sublevels where his lab was located, busily typing away on his computer.

Pushing back from his desk, Hank turned around and offered the weather Goddess a welcoming smile. "What can I do for you, Ororo?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I haven't been feeling quite myself for the last few weeks and I was wondering if you would be able to run some tests." She got straight to the point, wanting to get it over with and not beat around the bush. Ororo wanted Hank to find out what was wrong with her so she could get back to Logan, worried that he would disappear into the woods again if she was gone too long.

Hank's brows furrowed in concern and he got to his feet. "Of course, Ororo. What symptoms have you been experiencing?" His gaze swept over her as though he were trying to figure out what was wrong by just looking at her.

She sighed softly. "I've just been rather tired lately, with the occasional nausea and vomiting. I think it may be stress, Henry, and I didn't want to alarm anyone. I was hoping you could tell me for sure."

"Yes, you have been under quite a bit of stress these last few months. It would be understandable," Hank agreed, walking with her out of the lab and towards the exam room of the infirmary.

Ororo's thoughts drifted back to Logan as she took a seat on the exam table while Hank gathered his instruments. She contemplated her husband's odd behavior from earlier and hoped to be able to return to him soon.

.

Shortly after her exam, Ororo had been sitting on a bed in the med lab, waiting for Hank to come back with her test results when an anxious-looking Kitty phased down from the ceiling above and landed just in front of the door.

"Kitty? What's going on?" she asked calmly with concern, sliding off the bed.

"I'm sorry, Ororo, but Scott sent me to find you and you need to come quick!" the teenage girl rambled quickly on one shaky breath. "Logan's out in front of the mansion and he's, like, totally freaking out!"

Ororo's eyes widened in surprise. She knew Logan had been behaving more strangely than usual this morning, but hadn't truly considered how upset he may be if she was out of his range of senses for very long. Putting thoughts of her test results out of her mind for the moment so she could focus on her husband, Ororo nodded at Kitty and started for the door. "Alright, let's go."

Before they could reach the door, however, there was a puff of dark smoke just inside, accompanied by the smell of sulfur and the frenzy of activity that followed.

"Kurt?!" Kitty shrieked as both Kurt _and _Logan emerged from the dissipating smoke. The blue-furred mutant quickly performed an acrobatic flip and got himself away from the agitated feral as quickly as possible.

"I'm sorry! I had to!" Kurt exclaimed frantically. "The Professor said Storm vas down here, and I thought he vas going to hurt himself or one of us if he did not get to her. He vas howling and going all berserk."

Disoriented from the teleport, Logan hunched forward on all fours and shook his shaggy head, growling and stumbling sideways a little. _"Rrrr…" _

"Logan!" Ororo called out to him, trying to get his attention. "Logan, it's alright. I'm right here; I'm fine," she said soothingly.

Raising his head, Logan looked up at her through the mane of wild hair that had fallen in front of his face. He started forward unsteadily, and had just locked eyes with her when the automatic infirmary door suddenly slid shut behind him. He jerked at the noise, spinning around and growling when he realized he was trapped.

_"GRRRR…" SCHLICKT! _Logan's bone claws unsheathed with an unsettling sound and a quick spray of blood from his knuckles.

"Uh-oh." Kitty yelped, frozen in place as Logan turned his attention to her and roared, as though accusing her of trapping him inside.

"Kitty, phase out of here!" Ororo commanded as Logan lunged at the girl.

Snapping out of her terror in the nick of time, Kitty went intangible and phased down a level below them to safety.

"RAAAAAAAARGGGHHH!" Logan slid across the floor, leaping about and knocking machines and instruments over in his panic, only causing himself further distress as he thrashed around the room, trying to escape.

Ororo's heart went out to him. He was acting like a wild animal that had stumbled into a trap and then panicked when the door slammed shut behind it. Logan was going absolutely ballistic, and Ororo didn't think that her presence alone would be enough to soothe him right now. She turned to Kurt, who was attempting to dodge Logan's uncoordinated, destructive thrashing about the room. "Kurt, you need to get him back outside! It's too dangerous to take him through the mansion."

He looked at her with wide yellow eyes as though she had gone mad. "Are you serious?!" Kurt exclaimed, flipping backwards and then teleporting to the bed behind her to avoid Logan again. "I can't get near him!"

"If I can distract him for just a moment that should give you enough time to teleport close and grab him," Ororo assured the teen, quickly formulating a plan of action in her head.

"RAAAAAAARRRR!" Logan roared, pivoting and leaping at the infirmary doors. He crashed through the glass and tumbled to all fours, sheathing his claws before loping down the long corridor.

Ororo and Kurt chased after him, careful of the sharp debris on the floor.

That was the moment that a bewildered Hank rounded the corner, clipboard in hand. "What in the—"

Logan roared again and rushed at the blue-furred beast.

"Oh dear."

Ororo gasped. _Okay, so Plan B then_. "Kurt, there's no time! Do it now!"

Muttering something under his breath that might have been a prayer, Kurt leapt, teleported, and reappeared just above Logan, landing on the feral's back and 'porting away with him before he made contact with Hank.

Within the span of two worried breaths, Kurt returned in a puff of smoke, latched onto Ororo's arm, and 'ported them away again.

.

As soon as they were outside, Ororo's stomach rebelled and she stumbled sideways gracelessly to vomit into the nearby shrubbery.

"Storm! Are you alright?" Scott's voice cried out in concern from somewhere behind her.

"I'm fine." She looked up and waved the teen away, looking around with slightly-unfocused vision. "Where's Logan?"

_"Grrrrrr…." _

Ororo's head snapped up and she pushed herself to her feet, instructing Scott to slowly move away from her as Logan stalked forward threateningly. "Logan, it's fine. Scott wasn't trying to hurt me. I'm okay," she assured her wild husband. Despite the dark, stormy clouds overhead, she could see bits of glinting glass that were still embedded in his skin, and bright streaks of blood across his bare torso, arms, and face.

Kurt was backing away, along with Scott and Rogue, giving Logan a wide berth. Kurt had even edged a little closer to the other two, prepared to 'port them out of harms way if needed.

"Logan… Logan, it's alright. Look at me. You're okay, you're not trapped. We're back outside now. Everything's alright," Ororo soothed calmly, deliberately standing in a non-threatening posture, letting Logan come to her. The weather started reflecting her emotions even more as the rain suddenly came down, but she ignored it, focused only on her husband.

_"Rrrr…" _Logan growled, his nostrils flaring, eyes darting from Ororo to the small group of teenagers that were trying to give them space. His chest heaved as he breathed in and out raggedly, crouched down with his fingertips pressed into the now-muddy ground.

"Logan, focus on me, please," Ororo called to him, trying to reign him in and urging him forward. "Come here. It's alright." She waved him toward her with gentle hand motions, feeling her heart swell with hope as he slowly began to move.

Each step forward was slow and tentative, his breathing heavy and his eyes dark and hyper-focused. _"Hrrrruh."_

Ororo smiled warmly at the noises he made as he edged closer, and she noticed the rain washing away the blood streaked across his skin as his body healed and pushed out the bits of broken glass.

Logan sniffed at her audibly, slowly rising from his crouch and circling her.

From far off to her right, where the kids were standing warily, Scott jerked forward, opening his mouth to say something as his right hand twitched toward his shades. Ororo gave him a subtle shake of her head, wiggling her fingers a little by her side, and the boy went still. Despite the others' concerns and evidence of Logan's previous violent behavior, Ororo was certain that he wouldn't hurt her. He couldn't. Even in this state she knew he couldn't hurt her.

"Logan," Ororo spoke in a calm, even tone, her voice soft. Despite the pouring rain that she could no longer prevent, she was certain that he could hear her clearly. She just wasn't entirely sure he understood what she was saying. It was worth a shot though. "Listen to me, okay?"

His head jerked up as he focused on her face, brows furrowed and dark eyes scrutinizing her every move. Logan froze in front of her, his breaths still coming out in sharp exhales through his nose.

"Logan, have you calmed down?" He snorted and she smiled, tentatively placing both hands on his wide, burly shoulders. His skin was cool from the rain, and Ororo felt him momentarily tense at her touch. Logan didn't move away though, and she briefly closed her eyes in relief. It was the first time she'd been able to touch him since he'd gone completely feral.

"Hrrr?" He cocked his head to one side, leaning in and sniffing at her neck.

Ororo's shoulders hunched slightly as his overgrown sideburns and stubble tickled her neck. As he leaned back, she moved her hands from his shoulders to cup his face. "Logan, go up to the loft balcony, okay? I'll meet you up there in a short while." The furrow between his brows deepened, and she pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Go. Please."

As she let him go, Logan took a big step back, then swiveled around and bounded off through the rain on all fours, leaving Ororo and three pretty confused and startled students in his wake.

"What just happened?" Rogue blurted after a beat of silence.

Kurt stepped forward, brushing rain-drenched hair out of his face. "Logan's not really back with us yet, is he?"

Ororo sighed, shaking her head. "No, he's not. It's going to take some time. And patience."

Scott told Kurt and Rogue to go inside and approached Ororo, who still hadn't moved from her spot. "Are you okay, Storm?"

She almost smirked ironically, but fought the urge. The pouring rain and distant thunder were pretty much a testament to the fact that she was most certainly _not _okay. "I'll be fine, Scott. Thank you."

Not bothering to go back inside the traditional way, Ororo used the winds to raise herself up into the air and flew toward the balcony of her attic loft, hoping she would find Logan already there.

.

Landing gracefully on the balcony, Ororo's heart sank as it was immediately apparent that Logan was not there. As she stepped through the open doors into the loft, however, her spirits lifted as she spotted the puddles of water on the wooden floor. He had gone inside. "Logan?" she called, peering around the darkened room. "Logan, are you in here?"

There was a low rumble, a growl more than anything, and then his gravelly, disused voice struggling to form actual words. "Rrrrr….'Rrroro?"

She found him crouched on the floor on the opposite side of their bed, holding his head in his hands and looking to be in such mental turmoil. Ororo padded over to him on soft feet before sitting on the edge of the bed above him and placing a hand on his back. "Logan, it's going to be alright. I'm here."

"Hrrrrhh…" He snorted and shook his head, growling in frustration. "Rraaarrggh."

Ororo frowned in concern as he waged an internal battle inside himself.

Logan was dripping wet, creating a puddle on the floor around him, and Ororo's own clothes were soaked through, though because of her mutant powers she could withstand extreme temperatures better than most. He was trembling slightly; she knew he was cold.

Getting off the bed, Ororo stood directly in front of Logan and held her hand out to him. "Join me for a shower?"

Lifting his head and bringing his hands down to rest on his knees, Logan blinked at her with dark, questioning eyes.

She laughed softly at his expression. "We _are _married, Logan. I would hope that you could remember that much. We've often shared showers together." Ororo risked a saucy little wink at him and smiled gently.

He made a strange, almost-mournful sound before taking her delicate hand in his massive one and rising to his feet.

Ororo led him into the bathroom but made sure not to close the door. She turned on the water and started to remove her soaked clothes, simultaneously watching as Logan hesitantly began to peel off his tattered, wet jeans. Although she was trying not to stare, Ororo couldn't help but be aware of the physical changes Logan had gone through since he'd turned feral, as it was more obvious now that she was seeing him up close. Other than his generally larger physique, protruding under-bite, longer canines, and more bulging muscles, he definitely had more body hair than normal, and it appeared denser as well, more fur-like.

As he finished kicking off his clinging wet jeans, finally tearing them away with his claws and a grunt of irritation, Ororo touched Logan's arm and urged him to step into the shower. She got in behind him and reached for her loofah and some soap to begin washing him. Although he was a little perturbed at first, Logan soon relaxed and allowed Ororo to wash his back and shoulders before taking the loofah from her hand with a grunt and finishing the rest himself. She didn't mind washing him, but if Logan was going to take the initiative and do it for himself, Ororo figured that was a step in the right direction.

Picking up the shampoo he normally used, Ororo squeezed some out onto her hand and then began working it through Logan's unruly mane, massaging his scalp as she did so and smiling when a rumble of contentedness escaped his throat.

"That's not so bad now, is it?" she crooned softly, pushing Logan backwards into the spray to rinse off as he turned to face her. Ororo picked up her body wash to clean up next, finding a heat rise in her cheeks when Logan openly perused her naked form. While not modest by any means, she still found herself slightly embarrassed by the unabashed way in which Logan was staring at her, his nostrils flaring, eyes dark and sharply focused, pupils dilating.

"You're making me blush," she accused playfully, swatting lightly against his damp chest.

Logan snorted and lifted his gaze to her eyes, a rumbling noise emitting from his chest.

Ororo finished up and they exited the shower, drying off and venturing back into the loft to get dressed. She put on a long, flowing skirt with a white top before tossing some clean boxers and a pair of khaki cargo shorts at Logan. None of his t-shirts seemed to fit on his bulky upper body, so he would have to go shirtless. Luckily, it was summer and the weather was generally warm enough that he wouldn't really need a shirt anyway.

Taking a moment to look Logan up and down, Ororo smiled. He only looked _slightly _less wild now that he was clean—he hadn't allowed her to give him a shave after all—but at least he definitely smelled better. She heard his stomach rumble loudly and frowned, studying him. "When was the last time you've eaten anything?"

Logan dropped to a crouch and tilted his head at her.

She sighed. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" Ororo wondered if he'd even eaten anything at all while roaming the grounds the last few days, but surmised that he had to have been hunting or _something_. Otherwise he'd be ravenous.

Ororo hadn't eaten a thing all day either, and granted, she'd been nauseous earlier, she was now feeling a bit hungry. "Will you stay here while I go get us something to eat?" she asked him unsurely, hesitant about leaving him again after the fiasco from just a short while ago.

"Hrrrhh." Logan straightened from his crouch and made a face.

She held up her hands in a placating gesture. "I'll be right back, I promise. Please, just stay here."

"Hmmph." Turning around, Logan ambled over to the open balcony doors and settled down on the floor just inside them. It had stopped raining due to the dramatic shift in Ororo's mood, and was now quite sunny, with a gentle breeze blowing in through the open doors.

Ororo smiled and opened the bedroom door. "Thank you. I'll be quick." With one last glance at him, she left the room.

.

They ate in relative silence on the floor at the balcony doors where Logan had been sitting when she'd left. Ororo had quickly made some sandwiches in the kitchen, grabbed a bag of chips, and two bottles of water before returning to the bedroom. Logan quickly devoured the foot-long sandwich Ororo offered him, while she had just barely finished half of her much smaller one. "Are you still hungry?" she asked softly, watching him lick the crumbs off his plate. He made a _'harrumph'_ sound, and she offered the rest of her sandwich. She wasn't going to finish it anyway.

Logan gave her a look of disbelief and furiously shook his head, pushing at her hand with the offered sandwich and grunting. Instead of taking the sandwich, his attention diverted to the bag of chips and he grabbed that instead, shoving a fistful of potato chips in his mouth.

Ororo eyed him strangely, confused. She held out the sandwich again. "Logan, if you're still hungry you can have the rest of mine. It's alright," she assured him.

"Nnnh..nn." He shook his head again and pushed the sandwich back toward her gently, grunting.

She sighed, realizing he wasn't going to take it. Ororo was getting the sense that for some reason he thought she ought to finish it. She put the rest of her sandwich back down on her plate and took a drink of water. "No, Logan, I'm not that hungry."

Appearing upset that she wouldn't eat, Logan frowned with a disgruntled little growl and then abruptly shifted to a crouch. His ears twitched, alert, and his head jerked up sharply as a low, warning growl rumbled from deep within his chest and he scowled at the loft door.

"What is it?" Ororo questioned, puzzled. About half a minute had gone by before she heard a knock on the door, and realized that Logan had sensed the approach long before whoever it was had gotten there.

Logan's growl grew louder and he stalked forward on all fours, as though ready to pounce on whomever was at the door.

Ororo got up from the floor and quickly held out her hand to him, halting his progress. "Don't, Logan. It's alright." He gave her a skeptical look that she promptly ignored as she strode across the room.

_"Ororo, it's Hank," _came from the other side of the door.

A little worried that his beastly appearance may prompt Logan into an attack, Ororo opened the door a crack and leaned over to obscure the view, despite the fact that she was certain her husband could smell him and that Hank most likely gave off more of an animalistic scent than anyone else.

"I've come with the results of your blood work," he announced with a wide grin that showed his massive fangs.

Ororo's eyebrows went up. With all the confusion and chaos from earlier, she'd completely forgotten about her tests. Considering the fact that Henry was smiling led her to believe that whatever was wrong with her wasn't very bad, she instantly felt some relief. "Oh, I'd completely forgotten, Henry. I'm sorry."

"That's quite alright." He tilted his head slightly when she still didn't open the door more than a crack. "Is something the matter?"

"No, no, Hank. Not at all, it's just—" There was a dangerous growl from somewhere behind her.

Hank's furry brows rose with apparent understanding. "Ah. Is Logan in there?"

She nodded, pursing her lips. "He is. And he's been quite protective of me this last day or so, which is why I am not letting you in. I do not mean to be rude."

A look of revelation came across the beastly-mutant's face. "Oh. That makes a strange sort of sense, actually," he mused aloud to himself.

"Henry?" Ororo eyed him questioningly.

Hank's wide grin returned. "Ororo, I am pleased to tell you that your ailments have nothing to do with an illness. In fact, my dear, you are pregnant."

Her mouth literally dropped open and she clutched the edge of the door harder. "I'm…_what_?"

"You're going to be a mother, my dear Ororo." Hank said, still beaming at her.

She stared blankly, not fully comprehending the impact of what she'd just been told. _"He knew," _she whispered, still staring off somewhere passed Hank's shoulder.

"Pardon?"

"Logan," Ororo responded in astonishment. "The fiercely protective behavior, the odd looks after catching my scent, wanting me to finish my food…" she trailed off, mostly speaking aloud to herself.

Hank continued to look at her with a ridiculous grin. "Well that sounds accurate. Considering the fact that Logan's uncanny senses appear to be even more acute in his feral state, he was probably easily able to detect a shift in your hormones that would subtly alter your scent, Ororo."

A faraway smile began to form on Ororo's face as she met Hank's gaze. "How far along am I?"

"About twelve weeks. I'll make arrangements for some pre-natal vitamins to be sent soon in our medical supply shipment."

She nodded, still keeping the door practically closed, though she could no longer hear Logan growling behind her. "Henry, would you please give the others the news for me?"

"Of course, Ororo." Hank lifted a furry eyebrow. "You do not wish to inform them yourself?"

Shaking her head, she smiled. "No, that's quite alright. I'd prefer to spend some time with Logan just now. I want to try and get him to really understand what's going on."

Hank nodded in understanding. "Take care. I shall see you later."

"Thank you, Henry." She closed the door, momentarily leaning her forehead against the wood and smiling. A child. She was going to be a mother and she was carrying Logan's child. The thought made her absolutely giddy, despite the nagging heartache that reminded her that her husband may not quite be in the right state of mind to embrace fatherhood just yet.

"Logan?" Ororo turned, searching the room for him.

He came in from the balcony, hunched over but standing on two feet rather than all fours. Logan padded towards her, head lowered, stopping less than a foot away.

"You knew, didn't you?" She asked softly, not expecting an answer. Ororo sighed softly, taking the half step closer to him. "We're going to be parents, Logan. You and I. We're going to have a baby." She started crying happy tears, wrapping her arms around his thick neck and pulling him against her.

Logan leaned in to the embrace, putting his massive arms around her in return and burying his shaggy face in the crook of her neck, sniffing at her and making soft grunty noises as he held her and allowed her to hold him. "Hrrmmhh."

Ororo tangled her fingers in his thick hair and cried. She was grateful that he didn't pull away, but she knew her crying was making him uncomfortable and confused. In his feral mind state, he probably wasn't aware that the keening noises she was making were from happy tears, rather than being upset.

"No wonder I haven't been feeling well," she murmured absently against Logan's neck. "Morning sickness." Shaking her head with a besotted smile, Ororo stepped out of her husband's embrace as he dropped his arms from around her and lumbered back over to the plate of half-eaten lunch still on the floor.

Logan picked it up and tried offering it to her again.

She just smiled and took it, going over to the bed and sitting down. "I understand now, Logan. I'm eating for two, right?"

Simply crouching down in front of her, Logan kept his gaze fixed on her until she took a bite. He made a satisfied noise and then went to pick up his bottle of water. The twist cap was giving him trouble, so he simply bit the plastic off and guzzled down the entire bottle.

"Thirsty?" she asked softly with mild amusement.

Logan snorted, then leapt up onto the bed beside her, the mattress bouncing slightly as he got settled, leaning against her.

Ororo made an effort to finish her sandwich as Logan sat hunched beside her. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, silently wondering how much he understood about her being pregnant. He got fidgety quickly once she was done eating, and started prowling around the room like a caged animal.

Finally, apparently unable to stand being cooped up any longer, Logan bounded out onto the balcony and leapt up on the banister, turning to look back at her as though seeking permission, or requesting she join him. His eyes were dark and indecisive. "Hnn?"

"You need to be out there, don't you?" Ororo asked in an understanding voice, padding toward him slowly. She joined him out on the balcony and looked out over the grounds. Thanks to her happier mood, the stormy weather had fully cleared, a mixture of sun and clouds in the sky. "I'll go with you, Logan," she assured him in response to an unvoiced question.

Apparently pleased with her response, Logan began to climb down with almost monkey-like agility, grabbing onto the sturdy drainpipe as well as window ledges for hand and footholds.

Summoning up the winds around her, Ororo flew over the balcony railing and gracefully down to the lush grass below. She beat Logan by only a few seconds as he made one final leap to the ground, landing in a crouch and looking up at her curiously.

"Have you forgotten that I can fly?" Ororo asked softly with amusement.

Logan grunted with a slight dip of his chin, then bounded toward the tree line on all fours.

Ororo had to ride the winds in order to keep up, as he was moving at great speed. He'd always been quick, despite his burly appearance and short stature, but in his regressed feral state, Logan was even faster than ever before, strong arm and leg muscles propelling him into the woods like a charging bear. He was moving so quick, in fact, that Ororo nearly lost sight of him several times before he stopped at the edge of a low cave opening. It looked like an old wolves den. "What is this?" she asked after a graceful landing.

Logan grunted and scurried inside. The den wasn't very deep, but wider on the inside than the opening, and she could still seem him if she crouched down by the entrance. Ororo noticed a bed of pine needles and leaves that looked as though it had been slept on, and just outside the cave there had been remnants of fish bones and those of other small animals.

"Logan?" she questioned, her voice soft and gentle as she crouched at the cave entrance. "Is this where you've been sleeping before last night?"

He made a snuffling noise from inside the den and crawled toward the entrance, motioning with one big paw of a hand for her to join him. "Hnnff…hnnff."

Ororo felt her heartbeat speed up, a knot forming in her gut as a sweat broke out on the back of her neck. Just the thought of going into that small cave was really bothering her. "Logan—you know I can't." She pursed her lips as he tilted his head at her in puzzlement and grunted.

"Rrrf?"

"My claustrophobia, Logan. I—I just can't."

Upset that she wouldn't go in, Logan crawled out of the cave and sat back on his haunches, hands pressed into the dirt and making little disgruntled noises. Lifting his chin, he sniffed a few times and moved closer to her before rising to his full height and studying her intently.

"I'm sorry, my love." Ororo brushed her hand along his arm, the thick, fur-like hair feeling soft against her fingertips. She wondered what he thought of the tension and fear that was most likely coming off her in waves, and decided that he was probably confused about her behavior toward him. Ororo knew that her response to Logan and her scent were probably at odds with each other. She was being affectionate and remaining close, while her body gave off signs of apprehension and terror.

Logan circled her slowly, nuzzling and touching her arms and back lightly as he did so, trying to calm her.

Ororo touched him affectionately in return, brushing her hand against his chest, his arm, and face, letting him know that it was not _him _she was opposed to, it was merely his chosen dwelling. She would rather not spend the night outside, and hoped she'd be able to coax Logan into joining her in their loft again.

Logan dropped back into a crouch and then loped off, stopping at the base of a tree that was still in sight and waiting for Ororo to follow.

Sighing softly, she went after him on foot. "Alright Logan, just not so fast."

For the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, Ororo followed Logan through the woods around mansions extensive property. She was growing tired and hungry, upset that Logan seemed no closer to understanding what was really going on. She'd been hoping that this time spent with him outside would bring him back to his old self a little more, but Ororo was starting to feel like this element was doing the opposite. It seemed to be bringing Logan closer to his animal side rather than his human side, which had been her intention.

Ororo quickly came to the conclusion that she was going to need to try a new tactic with Logan if she wanted her husband back, and resigned herself to the fact that this transformation was going to take time. She needed to gradually re-introduce Logan to his humanity, and it was not going to be an easy task. She was going to need help from the rest of their X-Men family, but first she needed Logan to start trusting them.

.


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: **Only a couple reviews last chapter, hope I haven't lost anybody! Here's the new chapter as promised.

**Chapter Three**

For the next three months Ororo slowly worked at getting Logan back. She got him to go inside the mansion with her, but only for short periods of time and in areas with a clear exit to the outside, like a window or door. He would, however, sleep in the loft with her every night, but Ororo found that if she closed the balcony doors he became agitated and distraught. She was able to get him to bathe daily, or at least every other day, and allowed him to lead her on frequent jaunts through the woods when he could no longer stand being indoors.

As she became more visibly pregnant, Ororo noticed Logan's behavior toward her changed slightly. He started sleeping with her in their bed instead of on the floor beside it, and was constantly shadowing her, keeping very close whenever they went anywhere, and growling at any of the students or other instructors like the professor and Hank if they got too near. Especially Hank. Something about his beastly appearance set her husband off. Logan was even more protective now than when she first discovered she was pregnant, and sometimes that worried her. They were making so much progress, and Ororo was concerned that he would slip back into his more feral ways.

Logan had made some headway with being in proximity to most of the students. He allowed Kitty and Rogue to get close, and even Kurt sometimes. For some reason Kurt's appearance didn't set him off with hackles raised like Hank, but Ororo figured it might be because Kurt wasn't nearly as large or as furry as Hank, and Logan wasn't threatened by him.

Scott was really the only student who was standoffish around Logan. The fact was, Scott still didn't trust the feral mutant not to hurt anyone, even unintentionally, and Logan could sense the teenager's wariness when he was nearby. As leader of the X-Men, Scott thought it was his duty to protect everyone—Ororo included—even though she was older and wiser and quite capable of taking care of herself. Even if she was certain she didn't need protecting from her _husband_ of all people.

"Storm, he _attacked_ me yesterday," Scott said in a serious, warning tone, arms crossed over his chest.

She frowned at him. "He probably thought you were hurting Rogue. You'd knocked her on the ground and he saw that as a threat."

Scott threw his arms out in exasperation. "We were sparring! And how was I to know he was in the woods watching?"

"You should know better by now," Ororo shot back at him calmly. "He watches over everyone. And he didn't fully attack you, I assure you that. What he did was issue a warning."

"By pinning me to the ground and snarling in my face?" Scott muttered incredulously.

She gave him a serious look and nodded. "Logan was exhibiting control, Scott. Otherwise you'd probably be dead. He didn't even unsheathe his claws."

The teenager heaved a frustrated sigh. "I just want to make sure you and your baby stay safe, Storm. I know Dr. McCoy warned you about limiting the use of your powers while you're pregnant as a precaution, and I'm just concerned that if something happens—if Logan goes after you for whatever reason—you won't be able to defend yourself."

Taking offense to his patronizing tone and the suggestion that her husband would dare harm her or their child, Ororo narrowed her eyes at the young X-Men leader. "Scott, I appreciate your concern, but you really need to stop trying to be the big man on campus and realize that I am quite capable of taking care of myself and Logan is very protective of me. He won't harm me or our unborn child, I can promise you that."

Taken aback slightly by her response, the mask of the serious leader slipped away slightly and the awkward, unsure teenager persona resurfaced. "I—I'm sorry Ororo, it's just that… Well, I still don't trust him like this, and I know Logan would never forgive himself if anything happened to you or the baby."

At least that was something she could wholeheartedly agree on. Ororo sighed and finished packing the lunch she'd made for herself and Logan for their afternoon jaunt. "If it will make you feel better, I will take a comm-link with me today, alright?"

Scott just nodded slightly. "It would make me feel better."

Ororo resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the young man. "Alright. But I need to get back to Logan quickly should he get agitated in my absence."

"Okay, I'll get you a communicator." Scott held his hands out in a halting motion. "I'll be right back, just don't leave yet."

If the circumstances were slightly different, Ororo would have almost been amused with the way Scott quickly dashed off as though afraid she might escape.

.

As they traipsed leisurely through the woods on one of their routine jaunts, Ororo couldn't help but be amused at the way Logan was bounding around almost joyously, taking to the trees and hopping from one to the other like some sort of mutant Tarzan. He never strayed too far from her, though, and would stop and wait for her every few jumps, sometimes rejoining her on the ground for a few minutes at a time before climbing again.

"You are quite energetic today, my love," Ororo mused as he hung upside down from a thick branch overhead. She laughed as he performed an acrobatic flip with a grace that didn't seem possible considering his bulky form, landing in front of her on his bare feet with a surprisingly soft thud.

_"Hrrrph." _Logan grinned wolfishly at her and she smiled back in return, pushing her hand through his wild hair in a futile attempt to dislodge some of the leaves and twigs collected there. He tilted his head and straightened his stance, tenderly placing a hand on her bulging, six month baby belly.

Ororo covered his large hand with her much smaller one and smiled at him lovingly when their eyes met. The baby kicked, and Logan's head tilted again, his eyes crinkling slightly around the edges. He was apparently in awe of her pregnancy, and seemed to know just when their child was moving around in there.

"The baby is almost as active today as you," she said softly with amusement. Ororo still wasn't sure whether or not the baby was a boy or a girl; she'd opted to wait and be surprised instead.

Logan grunted softly and bounded off again several feet ahead before coming to an abrupt halt, his bare feet sliding in the dirt and grass. He lifted his chin and sniffed, the rest of his body tensed, crouched down with muscles coiled tightly as though in preparation to attack.

Pausing in her own movements, Ororo knew something was wrong when Logan growled loudly and dangerously. She didn't think his defenses had gone up simply because one of the students was nearby; he behaved differently then, though still wary. This was a real threat, she was sure of it. "Logan?"

Cautiously making his way back toward Ororo with wild eyes darting in every direction, hyper-alert to every scent and sound, a deep rumbling growl emitted from him as a crashing noise was heard close by. "RRRRAAAAAAARRRR!" Logan roared dangerously, his bone claws exploding from between his knuckles with a brief spray of blood as he took up a fighting stance with his back toward her, only a few feet away.

"Well, well, well," a familiar, snarling voice came from the thick brush moments before Sabretooth leapt out, grinning devilishly. "If it isn't the X-Men's mangy guard dog!" The large feral mutant laughed wickedly, glaring at Logan.

"What do you want, Sabretooth?" Ororo demanded, trying to remain calm despite the fact that she could already unconsciously sense the atmosphere shifting with her emotions. Throughout the pregnancy she'd been trying to use her powers sparingly, as Hank wasn't even sure of the effects it would or wouldn't have on the baby, especially her electrical abilities.

"GRRRRR…" Logan snarled at the other feral, backing up towards Ororo protectively. The thick body hair he'd developed was standing on end, and he looked ready to pounce at any moment, growing more and more agitated by Sabretooth's hulking presence.

Sabretooth leered at her. "I see the little sawed-off runt knocked you up, eh, Weather Witch?"

The clouds above darkened. Ororo was losing control along with her temper and a growing sense of fear. If Sabretooth was going to try and get his hands on her husband again he sure was going to have a fight on his hands. Remembering the comm-link clipped to the waistband of her shorts, Ororo subtly moved a hand to hit the button, locking it on broadcast in hopes that someone at the mansion would hear what was going on. "Why have you come here, Sabretooth?" she demanded again, loudly so that anyone listening in would precisely know what threat they were up against.

"Oh, I just wanted to pay my little buddy here a visit. I'd heard rumors he was even more of a _dumb animal_ now after rejecting the adamantium and just wanted t' see for myself." Sabretooth laughed wickedly and held out his arms, hands curled to show off his claws. His yellow fangs gleamed, a menacing snarl twisting his face.

Logan snarled in retaliation, using his bulky body to block Ororo from the other mutant's view as he rose up from his crouch while stepping more in front of her. His fists were clenched, claws out, and arms outstretched at his sides. Ororo realized he was taking more of a defensive position rather than offensive. She silently admired his restraint in not immediately leaping to attack Sabretooth, which told her that their sessions with him on his control had been working.

"Let's see how much of an animal you really are." Paying no mind to her presence, with his focus solely on Logan, Sabretooth roared and leapt at him, claws at the ready.

Logan launched forward on powerful legs, meeting Sabretooth mid-air in a clash of heavily-muscled bodies and sharp, deadly claws.

Ororo gasped and took a step backward, resisting the immediate urge to call upon her lightning or take to the air. She knew Logan could have dodged the mutant's attack, but instead he met Sabretooth head on to keep the other feral away from her. Keeping her eyes on the ferocious battle to make sure she remained out of the way, Ororo grabbed for her radio, hoping someone would respond to her distress call and hating the feeling of being so helpless.

.

Scott had left his comm-link in the control tower while he was in the Danger Room for a training exercise with Spyke and Rogue, not thinking much about it until he heard a harried cry from Jean over the speakers.

"Scott! You need to get up here, _now!_ Storm's in trouble!"

Immediately thinking his suspicions about Logan's mental state all along were correct, he barked out an order for the computer to shut down the program and raced to the elevator that would bring him up to the control tower. Having heard Jean's call, Rogue and Evan followed.

Bursting out of the elevator once it stopped, Scott raced over to Jean who was holding his radio. "I _knew it_! He attacked her, didn't he?!" he demanded, anger and fear racing through him.

"No!" Jean shook her head. "It's Sabretooth!"

"What?!" Evan exclaimed, snatching the radio from Scott's hand. He quickly depressed the button. "Auntie O, you there?! Auntie O!"

"She stopped broadcasting just when I called you guys up," Jean explained.

"Rogue, get whoever else you can find. Spyke, Jean, let's go!" Scott ran from the room, the other two on his heels.

"That creep better not lay a hand on Auntie O!" Evan seethed as they rushed down the corridors.

"Jean, can you get a lock on their location?"

Jean ran alongside him, her face set in concentration and a hand pressed to her temple. "I'm trying, but Storm's hard to get a lock on and Logan's even worse."

Scott grit his teeth. They could be anywhere on the grounds, and if Jean couldn't pinpoint their location any help they could possibly provide may be too late. "What about Sabretooth?"

"Good idea. I'll give it a shot," Jean assured him.

.

During the fight Ororo could tell that Logan's focus was not entirely on Sabretooth. She could see him continuously checking to see where she was and knew that his preoccupation with her safety was causing him to take more hits than he should have. She wanted to call out to him, to tell him to stop worrying about her, that she'd be fine, but Ororo didn't want to draw Sabretooth's attention. If the feral realized that she was causing Logan's lack of attention on the battle at hand, she had a feeling that the wicked mutant would go for her simply to further draw the bestial side out of her husband.

"I'm gonna get the berserker outta you, boy!" Sabretooth snarled viciously, swiping his claws across Logan's gut. "Gonna get you seein' red so bad yah won't know who you're goin' after." He slammed the smaller feral down on the ground so hard that Ororo could hear Logan's bones breaking. "Then I'm gonna shove yah in the direction o' that pretty pregnant wifey o' yours."

Tears of frustration and helplessness welled up in Ororo's eyes. She couldn't take this anymore! Where were the rest of the X-Men? Goddess, she hoped someone had heard her call. The radio had gone dead and she had no way to contact anyone now.

Fueled with anger by Sabretooth's threat to his family, Logan let out a deafening roar, attacking the larger mutant with unrelenting rage. He swiped furiously with his claws, gouging deep holes and slashing wounds in Sabretooth's hide.

Counting on the blind fury, Sabretooth slashed Logan across the face, spinning him around and getting a meaty arm around the smaller man's thick neck. While he had him in a chokehold, Sabretooth thrust the claws of his right hand deep into Logan's back.

"AAAAAAARGGHHHHH!"

Ororo cringed as her husband roared in pain, and suddenly Sabretooth kicked him, shoving him in her direction while he was seeing red. "Logan," she called out, needing to center him so he regained control. "Logan, fight it! This isn't you!"

Before he could reach her, Logan used his hands on the ground to halt his momentum as he staggered in her direction, blind with pain and rage, his face twisted and bloody. As his dark eyes locked onto her blue ones, recognition surfaced and he breathed in and out raggedly, holding onto a thread of control.

"NO!" Seeing that Logan wasn't attacking her as he'd planned, Sabretooth bellowed out his displeasure and launched.

Acting on the instinct to protect herself as well as her unborn offspring, Ororo was about to risk using her powers to blow Sabretooth back with a gale force wind when several bodies came crashing through the woods behind her. A red beam shot through the air, slamming the charging Sabretooth into a tree.

With Ororo safe, Logan changed focus again and dropped to all fours as he spun around to finish the other mutant off.

"Rogue and Nightcrawler subdue Sabretooth, but keep out of Logan's way!" Cyclops commanded the other teens. "Jean, Spyke, stay with Storm!"

Everything was happening so fast, Ororo felt dizzy with relief. She put a hand to her rounded belly and swayed, her vision going a little fuzzy as Jean and her nephew each swooped in to grab her by an arm.

"Auntie O! Are you okay?" Evan asked with concern.

"Storm?" Jean pressed softly when she didn't answer right away.

"I'll be fine," Ororo insisted, looking around and frantically trying to locate her husband. "Where's Logan?"

Jean turned and pointed toward some thick bushes and trees. "He went after Sabretooth. Scott, Rogue, and Kurt went to help him. We should get you back to the mansion."

"No! Not without Logan." Ororo looked into Evan's eyes and knew that her nephew could see that they weren't going to get her to budge.

"Okay, alright," Evan agreed reluctantly, looking briefly at Jean. "But if Sabretooth comes back this way we're getting you out of here. No argument."

She admired her nephew's resolve, but Ororo didn't care what happened; she wasn't leaving without Logan and the assurance that Sabretooth was long gone.

.

"Over there!" Nightcrawler exclaimed, loping through the woods on all fours toward the dueling pair.

Scott skidded to a halt, a hand reaching for his visor as he took aim. "I can't get a shot, they're too close together!"

Rogue pulled off one of her gloves. "Maybe if you can distract 'em Ah can get close."

Taking a breath to gather his thoughts and get the tactics and battle strategies together in his head, Scott nodded at Rogue. "Okay, start flanking them. I'll get their attention and Nightcrawler will be standing by to teleport you out as quick as possible. We don't know how Wolverine's going to react if we break up the fight."

Just as everyone was preparing to make their moves, the battle between Wolverine and Sabretooth escalated. While Logan had the claws of one hand buried in the other mutant's chest, Sabretooth tightly grabbed Wolverine's other wrist and held it out, using his other meaty, clawed hand to squeeze Logan's neck. He lifted the smaller mutant off the ground, digging his claws in while each of them roared in pain and rage.

"Put him down, Sabretooth!" Scott yelled, hand still poised at his visor. Rogue was getting closer, and they just might have gotten the opening they needed to end this.

With a fierce smirk and a bark of ferocious laughter, Sabretooth looked over at the young X-Men leader as though noticing him for the first time. Scott should have known better.

"Put him down?" He squeezed Logan's neck harder, yet the stubborn mutant refused to retract his claws from Sabretooth's chest. "With pleasure." Pivoting to face a surprised Rogue, he roared and flung Wolverine at her by the neck, the smaller feral's bone claws tearing out of his chest with a spray of blood as he tossed him.

"Ahh!" Rogue screamed and tried to move out of the way, but it was too late. Logan's burly body collided with her and they crashed to the forest floor in a tangled heap.

Scott watched in stupefied horror when Rogue's ungloved hand made contact with Wolverine's bare skin as they fell. "No!" He cried out, seeing the terror on her face as she absorbed Logan's powers and memories before the force of the collision caused her to lose consciousness.

"Cyclops!" Nightcrawler called for his attention. "Get Sabretooth!"

"Right!" Seeing the wounded mutant hunched over and holding his bleeding chest, prepared to continue his attack or run away, Scott reached for his visor and shot him with an optic blast. "Nightcrawler, _Dumbo Drop_!"

Grinning briefly in understanding, the blue X-Man nodded. "I'm on it." He teleported away, reappearing where Sabretooth had hit the dirt and then transporting the dazed feral high into the air before letting him go. Nightcrawler reappeared safely beside Scott just as Sabretooth hit the ground and was knocked unconscious.

"_Unngh…what hap_… Logan!"

Hearing Rogue's distressed cry, Scott remembered their fallen teammates.

Rogue struggled out from under Logan's bloody, unconscious body and quickly pulled her glove back on. She crouched over him, one hand going to her head as she groaned, something of a growl coming from her throat. "Scott, help! Ah absorbed his power; he's not healing!"

Hurrying over, Scott felt himself pale at the amount of blood covering the feral. He reached out and helped Rogue to her feet; she was shaky and distressed, but physically unharmed thanks to Logan's healing ability. That collision should have left her pretty broken and bruised. "Kurt, get Logan to the med lab and find Dr. McCoy."

"Vhat about Sabretooth?"

"I'll keep an eye on him. Rogue, can you get Jean? She can help keep Sabretooth unconscious telepathically until we can figure out what to do with him."

"O-okay," Rogue nodded, trembling slightly and most likely trying to shake off some effects of Logan's feral personality.

Kurt hopped closer and tentatively crouched over Logan, a worried expression crossing his face. _"Mein Gott," _he muttered, gently touching the injured mutant's shoulder and 'porting away.

.

Ororo had been just about ready to storm through the woods and find Logan herself when Rogue staggered out from the bushes dazedly and called out to Jean. "That way; hurry. Scott needs you to keep Sabretooth out so the professor can do somethin' about him. Probably dump that creep off somewhere after wipin' his memory like the first time he attacked here."

"Where is Logan?" Ororo demanded, feeling uneasy, her heart hammering away in her chest. One hand moved protectively over her stomach.

"Easy, Auntie O," Evan tried to calm her, lightly grabbing her arm. "You shouldn't get so worked up. I'm sure he's fi—"

Ororo caught the subtle watery look in Rogue's eyes meant for Evan, the slight jerk of her head. She stepped toward the pale girl. "What happened?"

Rogue explained the circumstances quickly as Jean made her way through the woods toward Scott. "Ah'm sorry…" she sniffed, her lower lip beginning to quiver. "Ah didn't mean tah touch 'im, Storm."

Fear for her husband gripping her heart in a vice, and feeling the baby moving restlessly within her womb at the sign of her distress, Ororo used the winds to get her into the sky. As long as she didn't overuse her powers to the point of exhaustion, she felt in her heart that she wouldn't cause any harm to their baby. She needed to get to Logan, though, and believed their child would be less agitated when she was calmed as well.

"Auntie O!" Evan cried out after her, his voice fading as she flew in the direction of the mansion. "Wait!"

.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_Later…_

"He's starting to heal, just slowly," Hank assured Ororo calmly as she hovered worriedly beside her husband's sickbed. "The wounds from his fight with Sabretooth were very extensive, and they became more apparent after Rogue absorbed his powers."

Ororo stared blankly at Logan's bruised and battered body, her gaze lingering on the heavy bandage around his neck and the breathing tube down his throat. Hank had set Logan's broken bones that he could get to, helping the healing process along slightly by providing some stabilization in the form of temporary splints on his legs and arms. There were bandages around Logan's chest, back, and abdomen as well, and he was almost completely black and blue. He looked horrifying, even after having been cleaned up of most of the blood, and Ororo was struggling to keep herself together seeing her beloved husband so broken and vulnerable.

"He'll panic if he wakes up in here," she said softly, her eyes never drifting from Logan, watching the labored rise and fall of his chest.

Hank nodded thoughtfully from the other side of the bed, rubbing his furry chin. "Once he's a little more stable and breathing better on his own I think we can move him up to your loft."

Ororo nodded in agreement, but there was a troubled furrow between her brows. "What if he wakes up before then?"

"Let's just hope he doesn't. I can't give him any painkillers either, because I do not want to hinder his healing factor any further, especially while it's returning so slowly right now." Hank pushed a chair toward her and beckoned her to sit.

She did so reluctantly, one hand reaching up to place over Logan's. It was so strange being in the med lab watching over him like this. Ororo could count the number of times her husband had been forced into a stay in the med lab on one hand, and it was never for very long.

"How's Rogue?" Ororo asked suddenly, absently rubbing her thumb back and forth over Logan's callused hand.

"She's alright. A bit of a headache. She said that Logan's mind is very confused and scattered in his feral state."

Ororo just nodded, pursing her lips and fighting back a flood of tears. "And what of Sabretooth?"

"Charles dropped him off in a remote location far from the mansion. He won't be bothering any of us again for some time I should say." Hank moved around the bed to stand beside her, placing a comforting hand on Ororo's shoulder.

"Hank, does he still really need the breathing tube?" she asked softly, her voice trembling slightly.

The doctor sighed. "Well, in addition to the deep puncture wounds on Logan's neck, Sabretooth crushed his windpipe and collapsed a lung. I'll have to see how both are healing in a few hours, and if he's doing well then I'll take the tube out."

Ororo frowned and put a hand on her stomach as she felt the baby kick.

"Are you alright?" Hank gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

She looked up at her friend and smiled tightly. "I am fine, Henry. The baby is just as worried about it's father as I am."

He nodded slowly. "Why don't I go get you something to eat. That may make both of you feel a little better."

Ororo sighed. She doubted it, but agreed, and watched the doctor stride out of the med lab, leaving her alone with Logan.

.

Much to Ororo's dismay, Logan remained unconscious late into the evening. After his last thorough health check, however, Hank had deemed him well enough to move and got Jean to assist him in transporting Logan to a gurney so they could get him up to the loft.

Once Logan was gingerly settled on the bed thanks to Jean's careful telekinetic maneuvering, Henry carefully checked his ribs as well as his arms and legs that were no longer bound in their temporary splints. "The last X-Ray showed that Logan's bones have all pretty much mended themselves, but he'll probably still feel very stiff and sore for a few days while his healing factor is getting back up to speed. He'll need to take it easy so he doesn't reinjure himself."

Ororo looked over at Hank doubtfully. "Try telling _him _that."

Hank grimaced with a slightly sheepish shrug. "Many of the wounds from Sabretooth's claws have yet to fully heal, and some have left scarring that I suspect will be gone in a few days at most. His blood pressure is still a little on the low side, so he might be a bit dizzy and weak as well, but other than that Logan should pretty much be good to go once he wakes up. As long as he takes it easy," Hank added.

Sighing softly with a bit of relief flooding through her, Ororo got up and affectionately hugged the furry blue doctor. "Thank you, Henry. For everything."

He grinned toothily at her and gave her a brief squeeze. "I'm just glad I could help, though I really don't think anything I did made much of a difference. It was all Logan."

"Well, all the same, I still appreciate it." Ororo leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"If you need anything, do not hesitate to call."

Nodding with a small, grateful smile, she watched him leave their loft and went to sit on the bed beside Logan for a moment. She lightly brushed her fingers through his wild hair, noticing the claw marks across his face had faded to pink scars.

It was late, and she was tired, so Ororo changed into her nightgown and then set up some blankets and a pillow on the couch to sleep. Not knowing when Logan would wake or how he would react when he did, she didn't want to take the risk of sleeping on the bed with him just yet.

.

Falling into an uneasy sleep, Ororo was woken sometime later by a rhythmic lurching in her abdomen. She sighed and sat up. The baby had the hiccups. Tiredly dragging herself off the couch and groaning at the hot, sticky feeling of sweat on her skin, Ororo trudged toward the bathroom to splash some water on her face. When she was done, she went to turn the A/C up when she heard Logan moving around on the bed. Cautiously stepping closer, Ororo flicked the switch on one of the bedside lamps, illuminating that area of the room.

Logan was grunting and moving around sluggishly, his breathing slightly ragged and deep as his movements increased and he rolled onto his side, facing her. His nostrils flared and his ears twitched as he took in scent and sound while consciousness gradually returned.

Worried that he might think he was still in the middle of his fight with Sabretooth, Ororo called out to him softly, her voice steady and soothing. "Logan?"

_"Nnnff…raagh…hrrrr…" _Logan's lip curled briefly in a snarl as he tried to push himself up from the bed before opening his eyes.

"Logan?" she tried again, still keeping at a safe distance. "Logan, you're in the loft. It's safe. Sabretooth's gone and everyone's okay. Can you hear me, love?"

Too weak to really move, Logan dropped back against the mattress bonelessly and growled, frustrated with his helplessness. "Rrrr…. 'Rrro?" He opened his eyes, hazy brown orbs sluggishly finding her face.

Confident that he was a little more lucid, Ororo moved toward him swiftly, one hand resting on her stomach as she perched on the edge of the bed. She slowly pushed a hand through Logan's unruly hair and he rolled over again onto his back with a low growl and a groan. Ororo frowned sympathetically.

His eyes met hers, confused, like he didn't understand why he hurt so much and could barely move.

"Sabretooth threw you into Rogue," she explained softly, unsure if he was in a state of mind to understand her, though he seemed to. "Her glove was off and she accidently absorbed your powers. It's the middle of the night, Logan. Your healing factor has been returning very slowly." The expression that crossed his face was something that passed as concern, and Ororo sent him a reassuring smile, thinking she knew what he was worried about. "Rogue's fine. Having your healing ability for a short time saved her from what was sure to be some broken bones and a lot of bruising."

When Logan heaved something between a grumble and a tired sigh, then sunk back limply, Ororo turned out the light and went around to the other side of the bed to climb up on the mattress. She figured that it was safe to sleep beside him now, and curled up close enough to just barely be touching. Logan was exhausted, and Ororo doubted that he'd wake up again before morning. Noticing that the baby had settled down in her womb again as well, she figured she'd sleep right through the rest of the night herself.

.

Ororo was the first to wake in the morning, and finding Logan still deeply asleep, she went to the bathroom to shower and dress for the day before returning to the bed to check on him twenty minutes later. He was curled up on his side, a deep furrow between his brows and his breathing coming in sharp, ragged pants.

"Logan? Are you going to wake up my love?" She stroked his forehead lovingly, using her thumb in an attempt to smooth the deep furrow there. When his eyes opened, a little hazy at first, she smiled and waited patiently for him to really come around.

_"Rrr…" _Struggling to push himself up, Logan practically tumbled off the bed and landed on all fours, limping and staggering.

"Careful." Ororo sighed and hurried to help him. "I told Hank you wouldn't take it easy," she murmured with a shake of her head as she grabbed onto Logan's arm. She helped him to the en suite and started to run him a bath while he immediately went to the toilet to relieve his bladder.

As he stumbled back toward her, crouched down so low that he was practically sitting on the tile floor, Ororo bent to kiss his head, then pulled him to stand more upright and gingerly began to remove the remaining bandages covering him. The wound on his neck was now a thick scar, and the ones on his face had completely disappeared. His back and chest were riddled with deep scars from Sabretooth's claws, though there were no longer any open wounds.

"Come get in the bath." She urged him to climb into the tub.

Logan groaned and gave a reluctant growl, his dark eyes still a little glossy from pain.

Ororo touched his shoulder. "I know you're hurting; the warm water will do you good. Go on." She gestured toward the tub again.

_"Nnn…" _Still reluctant, Logan shucked his boxer shorts and sluggishly climbed into the warm bathwater.

Getting a washcloth and some soap, Ororo sat on the edge of the tub and began gently cleaning his back and shoulders, mindful of the fact that he was probably very sore. She moved up to his neck, taking extra care around the tender-looking scars, when Logan's shoulders jerked and he started coughing. "Easy, easy." She rubbed his back and became alarmed when she saw drops of blood spraying the water in front of him as the fit continued. _"Goddess."_

Dropping the cloth and rising to her feet, Ororo worriedly looked at Logan's contorted face and reached for his arm when the coughing fit finally subsided. "Alright, let's get you out of there."

Logan stood up wearily, the water sluicing down his burly body and onto the floor as he unsteadily stepped out of the tub.

Immediately wrapping him in a big towel when she noticed he was about to shake himself dry, Ororo patted him down a little before walking with him back towards the bed. She had Logan sit down with the towel around his waist, then gave him a fresh pair of shorts and boxers before picking up the phone and calling Hank in his lab.

She was still on the phone waiting for Hank to pick up when Logan dressed and began limping toward the open balcony on all fours with a soft whine. "Logan, wait!" Ororo dropped the phone and hurried after him. The hot mid-August sun was streaming in the room through the open doors, and she knew he was already feeling cooped up with the need to get outside.

_"Hrrh?" _He turned to her, pulling himself up onto the balcony railing without his usual easy grace, grunting in pain with the effort.

Ororo's heart stuttered in her chest when he teetered unsteadily and nearly fell, and she held out her hands in a halting motion. "Logan, wait, listen to me—you're hurt, you need to slow down. Please, come off there."

He frowned and turned his head away from her, looking out across the grounds with longing. _"Rrrnn."_

"Please." She approached him slowly. "I'll go outside with you, but not like this. Let's go downstairs and out the door, okay?" Ororo was worried about him hurting himself if he tried to climb down from the balcony like he'd been doing.

Logan cocked his head, apparently confused. He hopped down from the railing and into the room with a subtle wince and a grunt, staggering slightly.

Seeing that Logan seemed in tentative agreement, Ororo sighed softly and touched his shoulder. "We'll grab some breakfast and take it outside with us. Sound good?"

He just tilted his head up at her and accompanied her out of the loft without responding.

.

It was later in the morning than when she usually got up, and as Ororo pushed open the swinging kitchen door and cautiously poked her head inside, she saw that all of the students were already gone, except one. Rogue was standing by the kitchen sink, having apparently drawn dish duty for the morning. She turned as Ororo entered, and waved, looking a little surprised when Logan slowly walked in behind Ororo, hunched over slightly and moving carefully.

"Good morning, Rogue," Ororo greeted softly, smiling warmly and moving toward the counter.

"Mornin'." Appearing shocked to see Logan up and about, Rogue continued to stare at him as he hovered close to Ororo, eyes darting around warily and nostrils flaring. "Hey Logan," she said tentatively, her expression showing hesitancy, like she was worried he may be mad at her over what happened in the woods.

"Hn." Logan grunted his greeting and jerked his chin at the teen.

Putting down the dish she'd been drying, Rogue bravely walked up to Logan and stopped directly in front of him. She pursed her lips and sighed softly, staring down at her shoes. "Ah jus' wanted you to know… Ah—Ah'm sorry about what happened yesterday. Ah didn't mean to hurt you."

With a soft snort and a grunt of approval, Logan gave a slight nod and then wandered out the back door that lead to the patio.

"There's still some eggs, sausage, an' fruit salad leftover from breakfast in those containers over there," Rogue said to Ororo, pointing toward the counter, satisfied that she'd been forgiven.

"Thank you, Rogue." With a grateful smile, Ororo went to gather the food along with some forks, napkins, and two small bottles of orange juice from the fridge.

"Hey, Ororo?" Rogue called out when the older woman was just about to join Logan outside.

Ororo turned and glanced back at the teen.

"How's he doin'?" she asked, reaching for the dishrag by the sink and worrying it in her hands. She was still staring after Logan, still visible through the glass doors he hadn't bothered to close.

"He's going to be alright, Rogue," Ororo assured her with a comforting smile. "Hank said his healing factor is just taking a little while to get fully up to speed because of all the damage he took from Sabretooth."

"And 'cuz o' me." Rogue sighed and chewed on her lower lip. "Ah saw all those scars… Ah mean—"

"Hank assures me that they'll only be there for a few days at most," Ororo interrupted. "The biggest issue right now is that he's very sore and stiff, and he needs to take it easy and finish healing, but try telling Logan that." She paused, smiling gently. "And Rogue? It isn't your fault, okay? Try not to feel too guilty."

Rogue just nodded unconvincingly and turned to finish her dishes as Ororo went out the back door to bring Logan the food.

Ororo spied him just off the stone paved path, crouched atop a bench in the shade. She walked over and took the seat beside him, offering one of the food containers while taking her own. Still concerned about the blood Logan had coughed up in the bath, some of the weight lifted from her shoulders when she saw how voraciously he was eating, ignoring the fork she offered and digging in with his fingers. Surely if something was very wrong then his appetite would be absent, right? Making a mental note to ask Hank about it afterwards, Ororo worked on her own breakfast, knowing the baby would probably appreciate a meal about now.

.


	5. Chapter 5

**Note: **Happy Update Saturday! :) Thank you everyone who's supporting this story by reading/reviewing/following/etc.

**Chapter Five**

As soon as he'd finished eating, Logan had been ready to go. He was restless. His time spent in the med lab and lying in bed in their loft—although short, and mostly while he was unconscious—had made him antsy and raring to go, go, go, despite the obvious evidence that he was not yet one-hundred-percent.

Ororo sighed. She needed to speak with Hank and she didn't want Logan to take off into the woods alone in his current state. Hearing someone come out the back door, she turned and smiled, seeing Kitty emerge from the mansion in her bathing suit, a towel slung over her shoulder. Ororo's problem was solved. "Kitty," she called out, waving the girl over.

"Oh, hey Ororo." Kitty looked over in confusion for a moment, then she spied Logan crouched beside the bench and ran over. "Logan!" She made a beeline for him, and Ororo was pleased that her feral husband didn't react to the barreling pink blur as a threat. He just stood up in surprise and grunted softly as the teenage girl flung her arms around his neck and hugged him, talking a mile a minute. "The others told me what happened yesterday when I was at the mall."

Letting Logan go abruptly as he released a muted groan, Kitty stepped back with worried blue eyes when she noticed all the scars he had. "Ohmigosh!" Gasping, she turned to Ororo. "Did I hurt him?"

"He's still healing, Kitty, but he'll be fine. Just a little sore for a while," Ororo explained gently.

Kitty grimaced apologetically and peered at Logan again with a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

"Hnn," he grunted, then raised a big hand to pat the teen on the head.

Ororo laughed softly, then motioned Kitty over to her and spoke quietly as Logan ambled away a short distance, facing the woods and lifting his chin to sniff at the air as if searching for a particular scent. "Kitty, I have to go speak to Hank about something, and Logan's too restless to come back inside right now. Would you mind staying out here with him until I get back?"

"Sure. I was going to the pool, though. Is that okay?"

"That's fine Kitty. I just don't want him to go running off in the woods the way he is."

"Okay. I understand. Yeah, sure, I'll stay with him, Ororo."

Ororo smiled appreciatively. Kitty was one of the few students he was generally fine being around without Ororo present, and she knew that the teenager wasn't afraid of him and wouldn't let him out of her sight. "Thank you, Kitty. I'll try not to be long."

Walking up to Logan, who was now staring at her with confusion, Ororo placed a loving hand on his cheek and looked into his dark eyes. "I have to go take care of some things inside the mansion for a little bit. I want you to stay with Kitty until I get back. Keep an eye on her, understand?" Ororo knew if she made it about him protecting the young girl rather than Kitty keeping an eye on _him _he'd go for it. That is, if he even understood what she was telling him.

Logan just grunted, then Kitty beckoned him to join her and he gave Ororo one last glance before following after the girl at a leisurely pace.

.

Making sure Logan was still with her, Kitty entered the pool area and tossed her towel over one of the chairs. Kicking off her sandals, she padded toward the edge of the pool and dipped a toe in. "Not bad," she said aloud, glancing back at Logan again.

He started moving towards her, hunched over and ambling slowly on all fours, similar to the way Beast usually walked.

Kitty sat down with her legs in the water, kicking back and forth as she got acclimated to the temperature. She continued to watch Logan, noticing how stiffly he was moving, the way his face would contort slightly as though he were in pain. She frowned. Hearing secondhand what he had been through the day before, Kitty wasn't surprised, and seeing the horrible scars that had yet to heal told the tale of just how bad his injuries had been.

Sliding off the edge of the pool to fully immerse herself in the water, Kitty swam toward the center and then turned around slowly, looking toward Logan as she treaded water. "Want to come in? The water's nice," she called out cheerfully.

"Hnnf." Logan snorted, brows furrowing as he frowned. He began to slowly prowl around the perimeter of the pool, watching Kitty attentively as she started swimming laps.

As she finished her five laps and stopped in the low end for a break, Kitty quickly realized that Logan was taking his job of keeping an eye on her very seriously. Pulling herself up to sit on the edge of the pool again while she caught her breath in preparation for her next set of laps, Kitty waved for Logan to come toward her.

"Don't worry, I promise I won't push you in," Kitty told him sincerely with an inviting smile when he hesitated. As long as she'd known him Logan had never been the biggest fan of water, and she always figured it had to do with his heavy metal skeleton. He didn't have that problem any longer, but apparently bodies of water still made him rather wary.

Lowering his head, a low rumble came from deep within his chest as he padded toward her slowly.

As he crouched to her left, slightly behind her so that he wasn't too close to the water, Kitty heard his bones crack and grimaced. "Ouch." She winced sympathetically as Logan involuntarily let out a soft moan. He started to list to one side, and she automatically stretched back an arm to steady him, touching his shoulder. "Hey, Logan, are you okay?"

_"Nnnh…"_ He grunted and swayed, rising up and staggering out of the pool area towards the soft grass.

Pulling her legs up out of the pool, Kitty swiftly got to her feet and jogged after him, afraid he would disappear out of sight. "Logan, wait."

He stumbled weakly over to a tree and sat heavily in the small shaded area beneath it.

Kitty quickened her pace and knelt beside him, her hand tentatively touching his shoulder. She frowned at the cool, clammy feeling of his skin. It was the middle of August and a balmy eighty-five degrees outside. He shouldn't feel cold. Jogging back toward the pool, Kitty grabbed the big fluffy towel she'd brought along and rushed back to him with it.

Logan was curled up on his side, groaning and growling softly.

Draping the towel over him, Kitty knelt in the grass, worried and unsure what to do or what was wrong. Trying to open her mind, she hoped to be able to reach Professor Xavier. _Professor? I need help, can you hear me?_

**_Yes, Kitty, I can hear you. Not so loud, now. Calm down and tell me what's the matter._**

_It's Logan. Something's wrong with him. He just, like, collapsed in the grass and curled up in a ball. And he feels cold._

**_He may be in shock, Kitty. Have any of his wounds reopened?_**

Kitty looked him over frantically as best as she could, but didn't see that he was bleeding anywhere. _Not that I can tell._

**_ Alright. Just stay with Logan, but keep your distance if he begins to get agitated. I'll contact Hank and send him right away. Where are you?_**

_We're near the pool. Tell Mr. McCoy to hurry, Professor. Please. I don't know what to do! _

**_I will, don't worry. Try and keep calm._**

_Yeah, right. Calm, _she thought to herself as she felt the professor leave her mind.

Kitty got up and began to pace worriedly by Logan's unmoving form, looking up after several minutes had dragged by to see Hank bounding toward them with a medical bag while Ororo descended gracefully from the sky above. Kitty stopped pacing and heaved a sigh of relief.

Hank pulled a stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff from his bag, but when he got close enough to examine his patient, Logan's eyes snapped open upon catching Beast's scent and he growled menacingly, baring his teeth.

Ororo moved into her husband's line of sight, one hand resting on her baby belly. "Logan, stop it," she said firmly. "Hank needs to get a look at you."

Brows furrowing, Logan's dark, pained eyes drifted up to Ororo with confusion and he moaned softly.

"It's alright, love," Ororo assured him in a warm, comforting voice. "Just let Henry do what he needs to. Please."

Kitty took a step back, just behind Hank, and decided to stay close to the blue-furred doctor in case Logan snapped and went at him. At least she'd be able to phase him harmlessly to avoid the danger if that happened.

Hank carefully fastened the blood pressure cuff around his patient's beefy bicep and took a reading. "Easy, my friend," Hank said as Logan growled in confusion when the cuff tightened around his arm.

Both Kitty and Ororo were looking intently at Dr. McCoy when he frowned. "What? What's wrong?" Ororo was the first to ask.

"His blood pressure is very low; he's in shock. I believe one of Logan's internal injuries that had not yet fully healed has been aggravated and may have begun bleeding again." Hank looked at Ororo questioningly. "Has he been overly active this morning?"

Ororo bit down on her lower lip and looked at her husband in distress, her hands moving to her stomach protectively. "Probably," she admitted with a frown. "He wouldn't be still, Hank. There really wasn't anything I could do that didn't involve physically restraining him. Once he was awake he wanted to be up and moving around."

He sighed. "I understand how difficult it may be to keep him still Ororo, but Logan _needs _to rest in order to complete the healing process. The more he aggravates these injuries, the longer it's going to take for his healing factor to come back up to speed. I'll sedate him if I have to, but I'd rather not cause him further stress like that."

Kitty looked down at Logan who was still curled into a tense ball of misery under her beach towel. "Is there anything you can do for him Mr. McCoy?"

He ran a hand down his face. "Surgery would be useless, and I don't want to give him drugs if I don't absolutely have to. He'll heal on his own, he just needs rest and a calm, safe environment to do so."

"How are we going to get him back to the mansion without hurting him?" Kitty questioned with concern.

"Maybe we won't have to," Ororo offered.

Hank gave her a questing look. "What do you have in mind?"

"Henry, Logan's more comfortable outdoors rather than being cooped up inside. I believe that if I stay out here with him for a few hours, he'll remain calm and get the rest he needs to heal."

Sighing thoughtfully, Hank reached for Logan's arm to remove the blood pressure cuff and received a dangerous growl for his troubles, instantly snatching his hand back and taking a careful step backwards when Logan bared his teeth.

"It's okay, I'll get it." Kitty crouched down in front of Logan and lightly touched the cuff on his arm before phasing it off him.

"Thank you, Kitty." Hank took it from her and then looked at Ororo again. "Alright, he can stay here. But he needs to rest, and if he has to get up he must move slowly. No abrupt movements. Just try to keep him comfortable until the shock wears off."

Ororo nodded with understanding.

"How are _you _feeling, though, Ororo?" Hank's studious gaze swept over her. "Are you sure you're up to this?"

"I'm fine, Hank," she assured him, one hand rubbing soothing circles over her baby bump.

"I'll go get some blankets," Kitty offered helpfully.

Hank nodded. "Alright. I'll send someone to bring you lunch soon, and a communicator in case you need anything."

"Thank you."

While Hank started to return to the mansion, Kitty sent Ororo a brief smile and then left to get the blankets.

.

Stretched out in relative comfort on the blanket Kitty had brought her, Ororo managed to get Logan to move a little bit, resting with his head on her lap. She'd been given a pillow to lean up against the tree, and the reclined position made it easier on her slightly achy back. Her feet were a little sore and swollen, but resting would certainly help with that, too. Ororo ran her fingers through Logan's wild hair, gently massaging his scalp and humming softly to relax him. She knew her husband wasn't used to feeling so poorly for an extended period of time, and the sense of vulnerability was undoubtedly very upsetting to his feral mind.

"Just rest Logan, it's alright," Ororo tried to comfort him, sensing the faint tremors running through him. He grunted and shifted slightly, trying to get comfortable, but Ororo could tell he was still suffering from some tenderness in his abdomen. She adjusted the blanket over him, the other one Kitty had brought to replace her towel.

Logan's breathing soon became more even as he allowed himself to sleep, and when she felt as though the shock had passed, Ororo removed the blanket over him so he didn't get overheated. He was resting more easily before long, and as she continued gently carding her fingers through his hair, the lines of pain and discomfort disappeared from Logan's face.

Ororo found herself drifting off in the warm weather, the sounds of nature a comforting lullaby that completely surrounded her.

She didn't know how much time had passed when a voice startled her awake.

"Auntie O?"

As her eyelids fluttered open, Ororo's brows furrowed for a moment as she took a few seconds to orient herself, remembering where she was. Feeling a little foggy from her nap, her gaze fell upon her nephew walking toward her across the lush grass with a large brown paper bag in hand. "Hello, Evan."

"Uh, I brought you guys some lunch." Evan gestured with the paper bag and approached cautiously, his eyes warily flicking to the slumbering Wolverine who had his head in Ororo's lap.

"Thank you." She smiled gratefully at her nephew and glanced down at Logan's head in her lap, just touching her protruding baby bump, her hand lying limp on his broad shoulder.

Evan slowly lowered himself to sit beside his aunt, placing the bag of food down on the blanket and keeping a safe distance from Wolverine in case he woke up agitated. He gave the sleeping feral a glance, concern knitting his brows together. "How's Uncle Logan?"

Ororo smiled briefly. Although she and Logan had only been married a few short years, her young nephew had taken to calling him Uncle almost right away. It had started out as a teasing sort of title, but had quickly become an endearment and something of respect. Logan had gradually accepted his new role in his second family and had taken it upon himself to spend some time bonding with his newly appointed nephew. "He's doing alright. I think he'll be feeling much better than earlier now that he's rested."

"Good." Evan smiled and then gestured toward her stomach. "How 'bout my little cousin in there?"

"He or she is doing well as far as I know. A little on the restless side sometimes, but like it's father in that respect." Ororo offered a genuine smile and placed one hand on her belly.

Evan opened the brown paper bag and took out a sandwich and a bottle of water. He passed both over to Ororo. "Here. You gotta be hungry and thirsty. You've been out here for a while."

"What time is it?" Ororo asked curiously, have no idea how long she'd dozed off for.

"Almost two o'clock," Evan answered, glancing at his wristwatch. "Kurt 'ported over here maybe half an hour ago to check on you guys, but you were both asleep and Mr. McCoy said not to bother you if you were."

Ororo frowned slightly in disconcertment as she glanced down at Logan. She was surprised that neither Kurt nor Evan's arrival had woken him. He didn't even stir. She would have suspected the sulfuric smell from Kurt's teleportation would have roused him at least, but apparently it wasn't so.

"Auntie O? You okay?"

She pursed her lips. "I'm fine, Evan. I'm just surprised that all the activity hasn't bothered Logan at all."

Rising to his feet, Evan jerked a thumb toward the mansion. "Want me to find Mr. McCoy and see if he can come out here?"

Ororo shook her head. "No, it's alright. Kitty left me a communicator if I need anything. But I am going to try and wake Logan up now to eat and drink some water, so it might be better that you go." She sent her nephew an apologetic look.

"No sweat, Auntie O. It's okay. I'll see you later."

She nodded at him. "Bye, Evan. And thank you again for bringing our lunch." Turning her attention to Logan, Ororo set her sandwich down and rubbed a hand up and down his bare arm as she began to try and rouse him. "_Looogan_," she sang softly, her other hand gently tangling in his wild hair.

Brows furrowed in concern as he didn't stir, Ororo squeezed his arm and shook him a little. "Logan? Wake up, love. You've got to eat something."

_"Hrrmmph…" _She finally got a groan out of him, his brow quivering and eyes twitching beneath his closed lids as he began to wake.

Ororo felt the baby kick near where Logan's head was resting in her lap and laughed softly when he jerked.

_"Rrrf!" _Logan pushed himself up with his arms and blinked at her sleepily for a moment before furrowing his brows and shifting his gaze toward her belly. He cocked his head and started to reach out a tentative hand.

"It's okay," Ororo encouraged. She lightly grabbed his hand and pressed it against her bulging stomach. The baby kicked again and Logan's eyebrows went up before a toothy grin spread across his rugged face. She laughed again. "I think someone is trying to get Daddy's attention."

"Hm." Logan made a noise low in his throat and dragged himself across the blanket on the ground to sit more against Ororo's side. He stuck his face in the crook between her neck and shoulder and inhaled deeply followed by a few short sniffs.

Ororo giggled and hunched her shoulders as his whiskery face tickled her. She picked up the sandwich she'd put down and unwrapped it before offering it to him. "Here, eat."

Logan leaned back and pushed the sandwich back at her with a frown and a grunt.

She knew what he was doing. "It's okay, look," Ororo reached into the brown paper bag and took out another wrapped sandwich, showing it to him. "There's plenty of food. I'm going to eat, too."

Settling back on the blanket, Logan pulled his legs up and sat in a meditative pose, heels together, and winced for a moment, shifting around on the blanket again to face her.

Ororo wondered if his bones still ached from the breaks he'd suffered at the hands of Sabretooth. She started eating, watching Logan do the same, and gave him a bottle of water from the bag as well.

Instead of twisting the cap off the bottle, Logan released a single, razor-sharp bone claw and sliced the top off. He retracted the claw and downed almost the entire bottle before resuming eating.

When Logan had finished his food, he looked around as though searching for more, so Ororo took another sandwich from the bag and unwrapped it before handing it to him. He took the food tentatively, and she smiled at him in encouragement. "Go ahead if you're still hungry. It's alright."

He ate quickly and finished his water before rising from the blanket into a low crouch.

Seeing that he was already restless and needed to move, Ororo started to get up with effort, one hand supporting her belly. She was surprised when Logan moved close, offering his shoulder for her to use as leverage. Smiling gratefully once she was up, she leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you, love."

Once again Logan stared intently at her stomach, cocking his head to one side curiously.

Ororo smiled warmly and placed a hand over her enormous belly. "Yes, Logan, our baby's in there." She turned and gestured toward the mansion. "Could we go back to the loft now? Would that be alright?" Her feet still felt sore and swollen even though she'd been sitting for a while, her back also offering twinges of discomfort. She felt that she'd have an easier time keeping Logan from running off or doing too much if he were in the loft with her.

Gathering up the blanket, pillow, and bag from their lunch, Ororo began a slow walk back toward the mansion. She went a few feet and then paused, turning to look at Logan. He stood where she'd left him under the tree, staring after her with an unsure expression. She waved him over encouragingly.

Logan finally began to follow when she started walking away again, and Ororo knew he wouldn't have wanted her to get out of his sight. She used that fact to her advantage, and activated her communicator to let those inside the mansion know that she was bringing Logan inside, and to keep clear until she was able to get him in the loft. Ororo didn't want anything to set him off now, as she honestly didn't feel up to chasing after him, and she didn't want Logan to hurt himself again either.

.

Once in the loft, Ororo kept herself busy for a little while, watering her many plants while trying to pay little attention to Logan's constant stalking back and forth in front of the balcony on all fours. When she could stand it no longer, she walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, effectively halting his movements, at least for the moment. He looked up at her pitifully from his crouch.

"Please, Logan. Try and rest. Hank insists that you take it easy," she said softly and encouragingly.

He grunted and ambled toward the bed, but instead of getting on it, he tugged some pillows and one of the extra blankets to the floor and made himself a little nest.

Ororo watched him curiously. By the way he was moving, she could tell he was still feeling a bit off, and probably more tired than he would have liked to show. As he curled up on the floor finally to sleep, or at least rest, Ororo decided it was a good time to take care of her swollen and aching feet.

Going into the bathroom, she filled the square basin she kept under the sink with cool water and added some soothing lavender oils. Ororo then grabbed a towel and headed toward the overstuffed armchair in the corner close to where Logan was lying on the floor. Setting the towel down on the floor, she placed the bucket on top of it and then sunk back into the comfortable chair and put her feet in the water. She sighed contently and noticed Logan watching her curiously.

"Swollen pregnancy feet," Ororo explained softly, leaning her head back in the chair and closing her eyes to relax.

Before long she realized that Logan had fallen asleep, leading her to believe that all the healing he'd been doing had really drained him. She closed her own eyes again and listened to his heavy, steady breathing, feeling tired herself once more. Now Ororo was realizing more than ever just how exhausting it was being pregnant and constantly caring for her feral husband. She didn't blame Logan in any way; it wasn't his fault. There was just a lot of pressure put upon her to look after him, especially since he hardly let anyone else near him.

He'd gotten better in the last few months, but Logan still had a long way to go, and Ororo did not feel confident about letting him off on his own. She worried that he'd retreat back into the woods and lose even more of himself. As protective as Logan had been with her due to the pregnancy, Ororo still wasn't one-hundred-percent certain that something wouldn't set him off, a wild restlessness driving him back into the forest. Just a few months away from her due date, she didn't want to chance losing her husband now; she _couldn't _lose him now. She needed him there for her when their child was born. Ororo was determined now, more than ever, to get Logan back into the right frame of mind.

.

_"Rrr…rrrnn…hnfh…'Rrrro…'Rrrrroro…"_

Hearing her name in Logan's low, gravelly rumble, Ororo opened her eyes and leaned forward in her chair, one hand on her stomach as she looked down at him on the floor. His hands and feet were scrabbling against the floor as though he were running or climbing toward or away from something or someone, she couldn't really tell. The way he'd uttered her name, though, caused Ororo to believe that maybe he was running toward _her_.

Lifting her feet out of the cool water she'd been soaking them in, Ororo dried them off on the towel and then pushed herself out of the comfortable chair. "Logan."

His face contorted as the scrambling of his arms and legs continued, his movements more hurried and desperate. _"Rrr...hrrfh…'Ro…" _

"Logan, love, I'm right here." Ororo rubbed slow circles on her belly and frowned as she could feel the baby growing agitated.

_"Rrrr….RAAAAGHHHHH!" SCHLIKT! _

Ororo stumbled backwards in surprise as Logan abruptly leapt up from the floor, unsheathing his bone claws. His breath heaved loudly as he hunched low, dark eyes wild. Her hands protectively went to her abdomen as Logan's chin lifted and he sniffed at the air, still snarling, as he hadn't yet gotten his bearings.

_"Hnnn…hnnff…." _The fog slowly lifted from Logan's eyes when he made eye contact with her. _"Rrrr…'Roro…" _Her name came out as a mournful moan while he staggered over to her on all fours, retracting his claws and straightening only as he reached her. He gently wrapped his massive arms around her waist as he pressed his head to her chest.

"It's alright, Logan. I'm right here," Ororo hushed in a soft voice as she brought her arms up to cradle his head, her fingers soothingly stroking through his wild hair. She began swaying slightly, subtly shuffling them in the direction of the bed.

Sitting down on the mattress, Ororo got Logan to move with her until they were both lying down, he with his head still pressed against her chest. One of his arms moved protectively across her baby belly as he lifted his chin, inhaling her scent and burying his face in her neck.

_"Hrrm."_

Ororo continued to tenderly play with his hair as he quickly calmed down while lying against her. As she moved her hand down to stroke his back, she could feel that some of the raised scars from before were already gone. She was definitely feeling a little better knowing that his healing was nearly complete, although it was obvious to her that he was still quite fatigued.

As he fell back to sleep against her, Ororo continued to soothingly stroke his back, the motions serving to comfort her as well as him. No longer tired herself, she let Logan sleep, trying not to awaken him by moving around too much or trying to get up. At some point she was sure her bladder would force her out of bed, but until then her wild husband could rest.

.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Moving slowly and confidently, Ororo kept a firm grasp of Logan's hand as they walked through the mansion's sublevels, her feral husband hyper-alert to his surroundings. By his wary growling, she knew he didn't like the fact that there was no visible exit or window to the outside, and was doing her level best to keep him calm and mostly focused on her. It had been a few days since his encounter with Sabretooth and Rogue's absorption of his healing factor, and Hank had deemed him well enough for more physical activity.

Ororo's plan was to get Logan into the danger room where she could work with him on his focus, and keeping his baser instincts under control. Also, he'd finally be able to work off the excess energy he was filled with after days spent doing little more than resting on Hank's insistence. She'd had a difficult enough time trying to keep him from running, jumping, climbing, and fleeing into the forest surrounding the mansion while he was healing. Now that he was feeling much better, it was damn near impossible to keep the man still and indoors.

Reaching the danger room doors, Ororo punched in her code and squeezed Logan's hand reassuringly as the heavy metal doors hissed open and he jumped slightly with a threatening snarl. She was pleased to see that Jean had already programmed the room as she'd requested. The entire room was filled with the lush greens and earthy browns of the forest, and even smelled like the real deal. Ororo walked in confidently, dragging a wary Logan along with her as the door swooshed closed behind them, disappearing into the scenic illusion.

_"You're all set, Storm," _Jean's voice sounded through the danger room speakers from the control tower above. _"Voice command is now linked to your voice so you can end the program whenever you want. You have full control."_

Logan dropped into a defensive crouch, glaring up above, though the control tower was currently enmeshed within the simulated surroundings and undetectable with the human eye. Ororo patted his shoulder reassuringly and called out, "Thank you, Jean."

Ororo smiled warmly at her husband who was suspiciously sniffing at the air. She waved a hand toward the interactive illusion of dense forest. "Go on, Logan. Run wild."

Looking like he was thrilled at the prospect of taking off, Logan hesitated, looking her up and down, his gaze lingering briefly on her belly.

She rested a hand over her stomach and gave him an encouraging nod. "It's alright. I'll be fine. There's nothing in here that can hurt us. Go." That wasn't entirely true, Ororo knew, but it was correct for the current program running.

"Hn." Spinning back around, Logan eagerly bounded off into the thick brush on all fours.

Ororo laughed softly as he quickly disappeared into the simulated wilderness. She sighed. "I suppose we can work on focus once he's expended some of that excess energy," she mused, looking around for a comfortable place to sit and wait him out.

.

Ororo hadn't expected Logan to be lost in the intricate danger room program for over two hours, and would have been a little worried if she hadn't heard or seen him every so often during that time. He would emerge from the dense brush once in a while, bounding along where she could spot him; his own way of checking up on her.

When Logan finally decided to settle down, Ororo gave him some water and then asked him to have a seat in the lush grass across from her. "Alright. I want to try something this evening, Logan." He tilted his head curiously at her. "I would like us to eat supper in the dining room with everyone."

His brows knit together like he was trying to decipher what she had just told him, a look of deep concentration on his face.

Ororo breathed in and out deeply, one hand resting on her belly. "Now I don't want you to be overwhelmed having everyone around at once, so we're here to practice, alright?"

Logan grunted, leaving Ororo still unsure as to whether or not he knew what she was talking about.

"Computer, run program: Dinner Service," Ororo commanded loudly and clearly.

A table that was an exact replica of the mansion's large dining table appeared behind Logan in the middle of the forest setting. Logan jumped into a crouch and spun with a low growl, a reaction that wasn't unexpected.

"It's alright," she hushed him gently, holding out her hands in a calming gesture. She then waved him toward her. "Help me up, please?"

Hackles still raised, Logan stopped glaring at the magically appearing table and ambled toward Ororo. His large hand wrapped around her forearm as he gently, but firmly, helped her to her feet.

Ororo leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you." She hooked her arm around one of his. "Let's go to the table now, shall we?"

Logan reluctantly went with her, walking upright, but he didn't look happy about it.

.

Things started off well enough once Ororo had convinced Logan to sit in a chair at the table, but as soon as the holograms of the students began to appear out of thin air he instantly tensed and flung back his chair to take a defensive stance.

Ororo sighed with a grimace. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," she murmured aloud to herself before putting her hand on Logan's shoulder and trying to calm him down. "Computer, pause hologram motion."

The images of holographic Kurt and Rogue went completely still, frozen in place, and no others appeared.

Logan growled, his nostrils flaring as he cautiously stalked toward the faintly-flickering images.

Ororo knew he was confused because he wasn't getting their scents more than anything. "It's okay," she tried to assure him, approaching the frozen holograms. "They're not real. They're just projections, okay? I'm only using them because I want you to get used to the idea of being around everyone all at once."

Not sure if she was getting through to him as he continued to suspiciously stare at the holographic Kurt and Rogue with narrowed eyes, Ororo waved her hand through the images.

Logan jerked back a step with a startled, _"Nnph!"_

"See? Not real." Grabbing him by the hand, Ororo tugged on his arm, forcing it through one of the images.

He frowned and cocked his head as the image distorted, pulling his arm out of her grasp and giving her an affronted look.

Ororo gestured back to the chair he'd vacated. "Logan, please, sit back down alright? This is just an exercise."

After staring back at her for a long moment, he reluctantly retook his seat.

"Tonight at dinner I'd like you to be calm and not react adversely while everyone is around. Even Hank." Logan's brows furrowed as he cocked his head at her, and Ororo wasn't entirely sure he understood what she was telling him. "Now, I'm going to continue with the program, alright? I want you to try and remain seated, please."

Logan grunted and she took that as assent.

"Computer, resume program." The holographic images began moving once again, and more holographic students appeared, all approaching the table and taking seats. Ororo glanced at Logan who was eyeing them all warily. Although he was being calm and remaining relatively still, she could tell that his guard was up.

As the simulation resumed and the holographic students were all seated, going through the motions of passing around food dishes and eating, Logan remained in his chair. His attentive gaze was still darting around on guard, but he hadn't gotten out of his seat again and there was no more growling.

Logan stayed pretty calm throughout the mock dinner, though all but one member of their X-Men family was present. When Ororo finally activated the hologram for their resident blue doctor, that's when things took a turn for the worse. The sight of the big animalistic mutant still made Logan crazy, especially when Ororo was around, and the feral roared, leaping across the table at the image of Hank McCoy.

Ororo got up as soon as Logan fell through the intangible hologram and crashed to the floor in his attempt to tackle it. "Computer, initiate program shut down," she called out.

**_"Initiating Shut Down," _**the mechanical voice intoned.

Unfortunately, both the dinner program as well as the forest program were canceled, and as soon as Logan realized that he was trapped inside a big metal room with no obvious way out he went even more ballistic. He charged around the room, snarling and pounding along the walls and steel doors.

"Logan, it's alright, we'll go. Just calm dow—ahh!" Ororo cried out, doubling over and wrapping her arms around her stomach as a sharp pain ripped through her abdomen.

Alert to her sudden cry of pain, Logan regained his senses enough to run toward her, loping on all fours and skidding to a stop at her side on the smooth floor. "Rrr? Hnn…" He worriedly circled her, on edge with concern, sniffing and whining as her legs began to buckle slightly with the pain and she grasped onto his shoulder for support.

"Logan!" she cried out, struggling to catch her breath, eyes tearing. "Logan, get help! The baby!" Ororo clutched her womb, fearing what was happening inside her body. It had felt like a contraction, but this being her first child, she couldn't be sure. She didn't think it was one of those false contractions—the Braxton Hicks—and she was afraid. Being only six months pregnant it was far too early for her to give birth to a healthy child. Fear of losing the baby gripped her heart and she screamed out at Logan when he continued to hover anxiously, making little keening noises and growing more agitated. "LOGAN, GO!" Ororo pointed toward the closed steel doors, hoping he would understand where she was directing him.

Running at the doors, Logan began howling, a high-pitched wail that Ororo could only describe as a cry for help. He kept at it, beating at the doors until his fists were torn and bloody.

Ororo managed to shuffle toward the panel on the wall that would open the doors. "Logan," she called weakly, reaching the panel and activating it before sinking to her knees, grimacing in pain with both arms wrapping around her swollen belly. Logan hesitated briefly as the doors whooshed open, but instead of fleeing immediately at the chance to escape the confining room, he loped back over to her, leaning down and nuzzling her neck and shoulder with his face. Sliding one arm beneath Ororo's knees, and the other behind her shoulders, Logan lifted her up, cradling her against his chest and darting out of the danger room. He carried her down the sublevel corridors with surprising speed considering the extra weight, and continued his howls for help.

.

Scott spun around, stopping his perusal of a 3D topographical map in the planning room at a strange sound coming from the corridor. He immediately looked to Jean, the only other person with him, and knew she had heard it as well and was just as confused. "What was that?"

Furrowing her brow, Jean shook her head and moved to the door. "I don't know, but it almost sounds like…like a wild animal."

Scott's eyes shot up, his mind instantly going to one possible answer. "Where's Wolverine?"

Jean stepped out into the corridor cautiously as the sound—a horrible, keening howl—grew louder. "He was with Ororo in the danger room with the passive forest program running." She lightly touched a hand to her temple, presumably seeking to gently touch upon the minds of her mentors to locate them.

When Jean gasped and looked at him with wide, fearful eyes, Scott grabbed her arm. "Jean? What's wrong?"

"I-it's Logan. He's… Something's wrong with Ororo. He—his mind is so scattered—wild… I don't—" She closed her eyes, still holding one hand to her temple, forehead wrinkling as she tried to focus. "He's calling for help," Jean breathed with sudden understanding. She started running, stopping at the end of one hall and turning down another. "Come on!"

Scott dashed after her quickly, and as they got even closer to the horrible howling noises, practically barreled directly into the source. As Jean stopped short, Scott nearly collided with her back. "Jean, wha—" His eyes widened behind his ruby-quartz shades as he took in the sight before them. "Oh."

Logan went stark still in the middle of the hall, a pained-looking Ororo cradled in his massive arms. A threatening growl rose in his throat, but Ororo hushed him, her arms gently tightening around his thick neck.

"Ororo, what's the matter?" Jean asked softly, a little startled by Wolverine's growling.

"I'm not sure… The baby… I think something's wrong." The Weather Goddess winced and then turned her face into Logan's neck, saying something softly to him that Scott couldn't hear. Wolverine tipped her gently, lowering her feet to the floor.

Jean took half a step forward, her movements slow and deliberate. She put one hand to the side of her head. "I'll contact Dr. McCoy and the Professor. Come on, let's get you to the med lab, Ororo."

Wolverine growled and jerked at his wife's side defensively. That's when Scott noticed the blood on the feral's hands. His eyes widened in shock and anger. "You bastard! What did you do?!" he bellowed, raising a hand toward his glasses.

Sensing the impending threat and the anger radiating off the teen, Logan roared, baring his teeth and jumping toward Scott while unsheathing his razor-sharp bone claws.

.

Jean realized what was unfolding half a second too late as the implications of Scott's misunderstanding hit her. "SCOTT, DON'T!" she shouted, trying to reach out with her telekinesis to stop him, but failing to react quickly enough.

Scott lowered his ruby-quartz shades and angrily hit Logan with a full blast, the feral mutant's heavy body thudding against the steel corridor wall with the horrendous crack of breaking bones before he sank to the floor in a heap.

"LOGAN!" Ororo shrieked, her knees buckling as she wrapped her arms around her lower belly in pain.

Jean swiftly grabbed onto the pregnant wind-rider, shouting angrily at Scott for acting so rashly. "He didn't do anything to her, Scott! That blood was _his_!"

"What?" the teen sputtered, mouth gaping open. "But I—"

"RAAAAAAGHHHH!" a very angry Wolverine bellowed in rage and pain as he rose up on all fours, charging at Scott with bloody spittle spraying from his mouth.

Before Jean or Scott had a chance to react to the enraged berserker, he dropped face first to the floor mid-leap, suddenly paralyzed but still snarling, perhaps even more angry in his helplessness. The two stunned teens looked up as Professor Xavier and Dr. McCoy entered the hallway behind Logan.

"I'm mentally blocking his motor functions," Xavier explained, referring to the Wolverine's unexpected paralysis, obvious strain on his face, "But I can't hold him for long. Hank, quickly, get me a large dose of sedative. Scott, Jean, get Ororo to the infirmary."

"Yes, Professor." Jean nodded as she and Scott each pulled one of Ororo's arms over their shoulders, supporting her as they shuffled off down the corridor.

Jean cringed as they walked away, hearing Logan's horrid snarling and angry, helpless howls as she and Scott took Ororo away from him while the professor kept him restrained.

.

**Note: **Cliffhanger! Yikes! Sorry, evil place to end the chapter, I know. I had to, otherwise this chapter would've been waaaaay too long. Don't hate me! ;P


	7. Chapter 7

**Note: **So sorry this update is so late in the day! RL stuff had me occupied. Grr. Well, here it is on Saturday though, as promised! Hope you like! :D

**Chapter Seven**

Ororo tried to breathe slowly and evenly as she settled on the bed in the med lab, Jean and Professor Xavier hovering on either side of her. Scott had been there a moment ago as well, but she'd been overcome with emotion and banished him from the room, still upset that he'd mistakenly blasted Logan into the wall.

She was still focusing on her breathing and trying to think positive thoughts when Hank entered the room pushing an instrument cart with an IV bag and a bunch of other things on it. Ororo's mind had gone to another place entirely, however, and seeing the blue-furred doctor walk in alone unnerved her. "Where's Logan?"

"He's sedated in the operating theater," Hank assured her calmly, moving to the side of her bed with his cart as Jean moved out of the way. "I'm more concerned about you at the moment, Ororo." He took her left arm and prepared the underside of her elbow for an IV needle after hooking her up to a few machines to monitor vitals.

"Henry, you can't leave him in there!" Ororo cried out in alarm. "You know what'll happen when he wakes up and I'm not—"

"Ororo, I think you may be going into early labor," Hank cut in swiftly.

"What?" she gasped, her right hand going to her belly protectively.

"I'm going to give you some drugs to try and stop the contractions, but you need to rest and relax. It's very important to keep you calm right now. Physical and emotional stress can be a factor in causing early labor," the doctor explained steadily, already preparing to inject the drugs into her IV after setting up a bag of saline.

_"I can't lose this baby," _Ororo breathed out, her voice cracking as she felt tears gather in her eyes.

"Try and remain calm, Ororo. Hank and I are going to do all we can to make sure that doesn't happen," Charles assured her. "Jean, would you go and keep an eye on Logan for the time being?"

The redheaded teen nodded, then glanced worriedly at Ororo with pursed lips before retreating from the room.

.

Scott was already leaning against the wall outside the operating theater as Jean made her way down the hall. She frowned at him as he pushed away from the wall and turned toward her, a scowl still firmly on his face from earlier.

"Scott, what are you doing out here?"

"Did the Professor send you here to keep an eye on Wolverine?" he asked without answering her question, arms crossed over his chest.

Jean narrowed her eyes at him briefly, not liking his tone that was filled with disdain. She nodded. "He did."

"I'm staying with you, then. He can't be trusted."

"No, Scott," Jean argued firmly. "If Logan sees you or even smells you nearby when he wakes up he's probably going to go nuts after what you did."

Scott's shoulders dropped. "Fine, but…you shouldn't be alone with him."

Huffing indignantly, Jean knew there was no way Scott would leave unless she agreed to have someone stay to keep an eye on Logan with her. "Fine. Send Rogue or Kitty," she relented, knowing that out of all the students, Logan was most comfortable around those two if Ororo wasn't with him.

Nodding in agreement, Scott swiftly headed down the hall toward the elevator.

Jean pushed open the operating theater doors once Scott was out of sight, cautiously approaching the table where an unconscious Wolverine lay. She moved slowly and deliberately, reaching out with a faint sweep of her telekinesis to make sure Logan was really out and not feigning sleep.

Confirming that the feral was still indeed under sedation, Jean moved right to the edge of the table and listened to Logan's slightly-uneven breaths as his massive chest rose and fell. Her eyes dropped to his hands, limp against his sides and coated with dried blood, but otherwise unmarked. She'd heard bones breaking when Scott blasted him into the wall, and the bloody spittle combined with his uneven breathing led Jean to believe he'd punctured a lung.

Absently wondering if the sedative had slowed down Logan's healing, Jean reached out with tentative hands to lightly probe at his bare chest and sides, seeking out any obvious signs of injury that had yet to mend. Unable to detect any broken bones, Jean moved around the table and did the same on his other side. Getting identical results, she then went to get a warm washcloth to clean the dried blood off his hands and chin.

"Jean?"

Rogue's voice startled her, so focused was she on her task, and she looked up with a tight smile as the other girl entered the room. "Hey, Rogue."

"What's goin' on? Scott just told me tah get down here an' keep an eye on Logan with you, but he seemed real pissed and didn't tell me why or what happened." Rogue moved up alongside the bed and glanced down at Wolverine, brows furrowed slightly in concern. "So what happened to 'im?"

Jean swiftly explained what had happened with Ororo, and Scott's mistaken attack on Logan.

"Are Ororo an' the baby gonna be okay?" Rogue asked with sincere worry, her voice trembling faintly.

"I'm sure they'll be alright. Professor Xavier and Dr. McCoy are treating her right now."

"And Logan?"

"He's just sedated. His injuries have healed, and I think he had a punctured lung, but his breathing sounds fine now." Jean went to toss the washcloth she'd been using to wipe the blood off Logan's hands and around his mouth. "Ororo was worried about him panicking about waking up in here, so we just need to—"

"Uh, Jean?" Rogue called out, her voice cracking somewhat nervously. "Ah think he's wakin' up," she murmured as Jean turned around.

A low growl rumbled from deep within Logan's chest, his nostrils flaring to take in the scents around him.

Jean swiftly motioned for Rogue to back away carefully.

Wolverine suddenly rolled himself off the table, dropping into a crouch, dark eyes darting around dangerously, fully alert and on edge. His nostrils flared as he released a deep growl and bared his teeth, sharp upper and lower canines made more menacing by the protruding under bite he'd developed in his regressed feral form.

**_Rogue, try not to be afraid, and whatever you do, no sudden movements, _**Jean projected, trying to stay as still as possible herself. She had to think calm, relaxing thoughts, knowing that Wolverine would be able to scent their fear.

_Right, no problem, _Rogue thought back sarcastically.

Logan straightened to his full height, arching his shoulders back as he stretched his neck out, sniffing loudly and taking in the entire room. Jean guessed that he was searching for Ororo, but not finding her, his attention was suddenly drawn to Jean. He sniffed at her, lumbering forward and giving an accusing, angry snarl.

_Uh…Jean? Should Ah…do somethin'?_

**_No, Rogue. Just… Just let me try and see what's going through his mind right now and what I can do about it. _**Jean gently tapped into Wolverine's surface thoughts for a brief moment, trying to find out what had set him off. When she discovered what it was, she frowned sadly and tentatively gave him a little more space.

_Jean? He seems pretty angry…_

**_It's me, _**she projected back, averting her eyes from Logan in a gesture of submission and lowering her head. **_I was with Scott when he hit Logan with an optic blast and he's associating me with that pain. It doesn't matter that I had nothing to do with it, this is how his feral mind is processing the information from his memory of the incident. _**

_What should we do? _Rogue thought at her worriedly as Logan's hands fisted at his sides as though he were about to unsheathe his claws. He let out an angry roar that made both Rogue and Jean jump. Rogue was closest to Logan, but he wasn't focused on her at all. Maybe they needed to change that.

**_I need to leave. But first you need to get his attention on you. _**

_Me?! Y'all are jus' gonna leave me in here with an angry Wolverine?!_

**_He doesn't see you as a threat, Rogue. I think… _**Jean's brows furrowed as she tried to tap into Logan's mind again. **_I think he sees you more like part of his pack. Me, on the other hand, I've apparently got Scott's scent heavily on me, and he's very angry with Scott right now. You know what to do if he comes at you, Rogue._**

Rogue blew out a soft breath and sighed audibly. _Ah know. Ah don't like it, but ah know. _

**_You sure?_**

_Yeah, Ah'm sure. Ah still got part of 'im in my head an Ah think Ah know howta try an' calm 'im down. _Rogue carefully stepped closer to Logan. _Back outtah here slowly, Jean, Ah got this._

.

"Logan?" Rogue called for his attention as Jean slowly backed toward the doors. He turned to face her, as though only just realizing she was there. She held her hands out in a non-threatening gesture. Before Jean could slip out the door, Rogue projected a last thought to her. _He's gonna need tah see Ororo. Do yah think you can check with the Prof tah make sure it's okay?_

**_Sure Rogue, I can do that. _**Jean nodded at her, still avoiding eye contact with Wolverine.

Having some of Logan's feral psyche in her head gave her a bit of thoughtful insight, and Rogue quickly added, _An' you'd better make sure Mr. McCoy ain't around. Jus' tah be safe._

**_Good idea. _**

_Ah'll stall 'im as long as I can. _"Logan? Hey, keep cool, okay? It's gonna be ahlright." Rogue smiled warmly at Logan as he tilted his head at her. She knew he was focusing intently on her tone and posture, and it was important for her to lower her shoulders and keep a relaxed stance and calm, steady voice. Rogue sighed softly in relief as Jean made it safely out the door without drawing the Wolverine's wrath. "We're gonna get'cha outtah this cramped room so you can go see Ororo. How's that sound?"

Logan's chin jerked up and he moved toward her at the mention of his wife's name. "Rrrr…Rrrruh…rrr…"

Rogue knew he wasn't growling at her, just trying to articulate Ororo's name. "That's right, Logan. We'll go check up on 'Roro, okay?"

Instead of calming down completely, Logan started to display a different kind of agitation and began to whine, frantically seeking the door.

"Ah know you're worried 'bout her, but she's bein' takin' care of, Logan. We're gonna see her in a minute. Jus' calm down. It ain't gonna do her any good tah see yah all worked up."

**_It's alright, Rogue. You may take Logan in to see Ororo now. She's being treated and is doing fine._**

Rogue resisted the urge to physically jump at the sudden intrusion in her mind. _Jeeze, Prof! Don't do that!_

**_I apologize. _**

She sighed. _Okay. Ah'm gonna take 'im now. _"C'mon," Rogue moved beside Logan and pushed open the door. Before she could guide him out, however, the feral bolted, chin up, seeking out Ororo's scent. "Hey! Logan!" She ran after him, even knowing there was no way she could keep up. _Prof, he's on the move! Comin' your way quick! Ah couldn't stop 'im. _

**_That's fine. We're anticipating his arriv—he's here. _**

_Already?! Damn, he's fast. _Rogue projected accidently before cutting her thoughts off to Professor Xavier.

.

_"Logan," _Ororo murmured tiredly from the hospital bed as her feral husband frantically burst through the sliding doors. The bed was reclined slightly and she was sitting up, propped up by fluffy pillows. The IV in the crook of her left elbow was feeding medication and fluids into her system, and although she was a little tired and groggy, she was no longer suffering any discomfort.

Logan bounded over to her, casting a very brief glance at Professor Xavier sitting passively in his wheelchair on Ororo's right side, away from the door. Not threatened by Charles, he swiftly leaned over Ororo, sticking his face in the crook of her neck and sniffing at her, nuzzling her cheek and growling affectionately with intermittent little whines.

_Sniff. Sniff. _"Hrrn…"

"It's alright, I'm alright," Ororo murmured softly in a tranquilizing tone, petting him soothingly. "_We're _alright," she added, putting one hand over her belly.

Logan ignored Rogue's sudden loud entrance into the room, then grunted and moved down the bed slightly, placing both of his large, callused hands on Ororo's stomach with surprising tenderness. Leaning close, he sniffed at her belly through the thin hospital gown, then turned his head to one side, leaning an ear against her bump.

Ororo smiled as she heard the gentle rumble of his loving growls, his hands stroking her belly reverently. She sighed softly, fighting the tears gathering in her eyes. She'd been so scared about losing the baby, as soon as Henry told her the medicine he'd administered was successfully stopping her early labor, she'd begun sobbing in relief. Her face still felt tight with dried tear tracks.

"Nnn…" Logan moved back toward the head of the bed and nuzzled Ororo's face with his own again, his stubble and overgrown sideburns tickling her. He sniffed at her cheek again, and then his warm, wet tongue was dragging across the side of her face.

Ororo flinched and pulled her head away with a tired laugh. "_Logan_," she chided softly, feeling bad when he gave her a kicked puppy look and pulled away. She smiled adoringly. "It's alright, come here." Planting her hands on either side of his face, Ororo dragged him back toward her until he'd crawled up on the bed and cuddled against her while she scooted over to make room.

"Ororo," the Professor began in a gentle, warning tone. "You need to rest."

"Please, Charles," she pleaded, holding Logan's head against her chest. "He won't bother me. Please, let him stay. I promise I'll rest, and I know he'll keep calm if he can just stay with me." Ororo had to admit to herself that she was even a little surprised that Logan wasn't freaking out about being in the med lab at the moment, but she supposed he'd been too worried about her to really think of it.

Xavier sighed, folding his hands in his lap. "Alright, but remember, you need to relax. No stress. Emotional _or _physical. If you start going into labor again we may not be able to stop it next time."

Pursing her lips, Ororo nodded in understanding.

"Once that IV bag runs out I'll come unhook you and you'll be able to go to your own room. But you will still need to rest," Charles informed her seriously.

"I will," she assured him, still stroking Logan's head.

"I know it won't be easy Ororo, but Hank has informed me that for the remainder of your pregnancy, you will need to reduce all stress and get plenty of bed rest. You certainly don't want to be going into early labor again," Charles said softly as he moved toward the foot of her bed, making his way around it.

She sighed softly, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her. "I understand, Charles." Ororo leaned down and pressed a kiss to Logan's head, feeling his tense body relax against her as he uttered soft growls of contentedness into her collarbone, one hand resting protectively over her belly.

"I'll be around if you need anything," the professor assured her, gesturing with a tap to his temple as Rogue activated the sliding doors, prepared to follow him out.

Smiling with a nod, Ororo closed her eyes briefly as Xavier dimmed the lights on his way out. Logan's soft growls and close, warm body had a greatly calming effect on her, and she let the drowsiness of sleep take over.

.


	8. Chapter 8

**Note: **Oh man, I'm so sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I got home late from work tonight/last night/this morning(technically?) and almost forgot. Yikes! But here's the chapter for you!

**Chapter Eight**

Low, warning growls roused Ororo from sleep, and she lifted her head from the pillow, forcing her eyes open. Logan was crouched in an aggressive stance beside her bed, facing the clear glass med lab doors. His burly body blocked most of her view, but as she pushed herself to sit up a little and leaned to the side, she swiftly realized why her husband was growling. She had a visitor.

"Evan?" she called out softly, her voice cracking slightly from sleep. Ororo could see her nephew standing on the other side of the glass, a full tray of food in hand.

"Hey, Auntie O," he greeted in a calm, even voice, muffled slightly through the door. "I brought you guys some dinner. Uh, can I come in?"

"Logan, it's alright. It's Evan. You know Evan, my nephew. He's _your_ nephew, too." Ororo tried to calm him down, knowing he was more intense and on edge than usual because of recent circumstances as well as their current location. She was very aware that he was only enduring being cooped up in the infirmary to be near her, and it warmed her heart. Ororo understood that he probably wouldn't be able to endure it for too long, though, his feral mind becoming increasingly agitated.

When Logan stepped back a little, his shoulders relaxing marginally, Ororo motioned for her nephew to enter the room. "Slowly, Evan," she warned steadily as the doors whooshed open and Logan growled again.

Evan nodded, stepping forward tentatively. Logan guardedly followed the teen's every move as her nephew brought the food over to a tray table, then carefully pushed it toward the bed.

Logan suddenly marched toward Evan aggressively, shoulders back, chest out, and nostrils flaring. He snorted and huffed, circling the young man and grunting in what looked to be some sort of show of dominance.

Evan froze, his eyes seeking out Ororo uneasily. "Uh…Auntie O?"

"RAAGH!" Logan snapped at him, still circling, sniffing, snorting, and growling.

Ororo pursed her lips as her nephew gulped audibly. "It's alright, Evan," she assured the teen. "Just keep still and quiet. Put your chin down and don't make eye contact." She wasn't sure, but she thought she knew what Logan was doing. "I believe he's just trying to see if you're challenging him as alpha male."

Logan finally appeared to finish sizing Evan up and decided he was a worthy pack member that wasn't about to fight him for the role of alpha. He backed off with a final snort and jumped up on the end of Ororo's bed, sitting back on his haunches.

_"Can I move yet?" _Evan whispered tentatively, still keeping his chin down.

"I think it's alright now. I'm sorry, Evan. He's just been even more intensely protective since I've been in here."

"It's okay. I understand. Sort of." Her nephew sent her a smile and shrugged. "It's pretty cool to know he's lookin' out for you and the baby right now even when he's not…uh…." Evan waved a hand in the air vaguely and then grimaced. "Sorry."

Ororo smiled tightly and looked at Logan who was still sitting protectively at the foot of her bed, watching every move Evan made with sharp, hyper-focused eyes.

"So…how you feeling?"

She turned to Evan again, hearing the concern in her nephew's voice. Ororo placed a hand over her belly. "Better. Hank assured me that the baby is fine and everything is alright. It was just a scare." She didn't want him to know just how big a scare it was. "Please, Evan, don't tell your mother about this. I don't want her to worry." The sudden look on her nephew's face gave her pause and she sighed softly. "You already told her, didn't you?"

"No, I swear." Evan quickly shook his head. "But, did you forget? She's coming for a visit tomorrow and I'm going home with her for a week before school starts up again."

"Oh, no." Ororo put both hands over her face, and Logan shifted at the foot of the bed, keenly aware of her change in mood.

"It's okay, Auntie O. Mom doesn't have to know a thing. You're getting out of the med lab soon anyway, aren't you?" Evan asked, not quite seeing the problem.

She dragged her hands down and sighed. "Yes, but Logan…" Ororo trailed off. She hadn't seen her sister in months, not since telling her she'd gotten pregnant. Vi had wanted to come and visit, but there'd just never been a right time, especially with everything that was going on with Logan.

Evan's brows furrowed. "Mom knows about Uncle Logan, right? I mean, you told her when it first happened."

Ororo's eyes flicked briefly to her husband, then back to her nephew as she blew out a breath. "She knows…to a certain extent. She doesn't know everything, though. She doesn't know—she doesn't know just how far he's regressed into a feral state." Frowning, she fought back surfacing tears. "I didn't want your mother to be afraid for me, Evan. I don't know if she'll understand, or if she'll feel like Scott does, that Logan is too dangerous for me to be around while I'm pregnant."

_"Hnn…" _Logan crawled toward her as tears began to flow down her cheeks, snuggling against her side and pressing his face into the crook of her neck affectionately.

She wound an arm around him and stroked his hair. "I can't be away from him, Evan. He needs me, and I need him," Ororo practically sobbed, her emotions getting the best of her.

"Take it easy, Auntie O," Evan hushed her gently. "You're not supposed to get upset. It'll be okay. Maybe the prof or Mr. McCoy can talk to Mom so she understands."

Ororo nodded with a watery smile and consciously tried to slow her breathing and calm down, holding Logan tightly to her.

Evan took a step back and nudged the food tray a little closer. "You should eat something and rest. I'm gonna go; I've got dish duty tonight." He made a face. "And don't worry about tomorrow, Auntie O. I'll take care of Mom."

She sighed softly. "Thank you, Evan."

Logan's head jerked up briefly as Evan left, then he dropped it back down against her shoulder, inhaling her scent and nuzzling her again.

Ororo pushed herself to sit up a little more and reached for the food. Despite everything that had happened, she was pretty hungry. Lifting the cover over the first plate, her mouth began watering at the sight of the lemon chicken, steamed green beans, and rosemary roasted potatoes. Everything smelled excellent. Glancing to her side at Logan, she noticed he seemed pretty disinterested with the food. She went to reach for the cover on the second plate, revealing a large T-bone steak that was sure to whet Logan's appetite.

"Here, Logan." Ororo offered him the plate as he sat up and let his legs hang over the edge of the bed.

"Nn." He grunted and looked away, sliding off the bed and prowling back and forth in front of the glass door on all fours.

Ororo sighed and set the dish back on the tray. She knew he had to be hungry, but he was too keyed up to eat. It was obvious that Logan was reaching the end of his tolerance for being cooped up in the med lab.

She began to work on her own meal, trying hard to ignore his increasingly agitated pacing. He would pause every once in a while, making sure she was eating, then quickly resumed his stalking around the room.

When Charles finally arrived to remove her IV, Ororo was more than ready to leave and get Logan out of the med lab. She'd finished all of her food, but Logan still hadn't touched the steak. He crouched and cocked his head as the professor entered the room, growling a warning only briefly as the wheelchair-bound man approached her bed.

"Ororo," the professor began softly as he carefully removed the IV needle from her left arm. He glanced over at Logan briefly and let out a sigh. The feral was prowling back and forth in front of the glass doors again. "If having Logan around is too stressful for you…"

"Where would he go, Charles?" Ororo cut in, affronted. "Back into the woods? Locked in a cell?" She frowned. "I think you know as well as I do that it would be far more stressful for the both of us to be apart."

Xavier put a hand to his chin and offered a slight nod. "Alright. I won't suggest it again."

"Thank you for your concern."

Sensing that the professor was making Ororo upset, Logan pounced on the bed on her other side and bared his teeth at Charles.

"It's okay, Logan," she tried to assure him quickly, touching his shoulder and brushing her hand down along his arm.

The professor moved his chair back from the bed at an acceptable distance. "You are cleared to return to your room now to rest, Ororo. Will you require assistance getting there?" he asked kindly.

"No." She smiled reassuringly and looked at Logan. "Thank you, Professor. I'll be fine."

Logan hopped down to the floor and watched Charles leave, then turned around as Ororo was sliding out of bed. She shuffled slowly to the chair against the wall where her clothes were, and Logan swiftly moved beside her, whining softly as she removed the hospital gown and began to dress. She put her hand on his shoulder for support as she bent over carefully to tug up her long skirt. As she was reaching for her blouse, she felt a cool hand touch her naked belly and flinched in surprise. Logan jerked his hand back and dropped into a low crouch, hanging his head and looking like a scolded dog.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Logan," Ororo said softly, pulling her shirt over her head. "It's alright, I just wasn't expecting it." She put her hand on his head and gently brushed her fingers through his unruly hair. Urging Logan to stand up, she took his hand and lifted her shirt over her stomach, letting him touch her warm, bare skin. "It's alright, love. Can you sense the baby?"

_"Hrm…" _Logan crouched down again, keeping one hand on her belly as he rubbed his scruffy cheek against her taut skin, growling softly in almost a humming noise and sniffing audibly.

Ororo tried hard not to pull away as his whiskers tickled her. "You ready to get out of here?"

"Hmf." He snorted and eagerly ran at the door on all fours before backtracking and trying to pick Ororo up.

"Logan, no, you don't have to." She patted his arm and smiled reassuringly at him to let him know he hadn't done wrong. "I'm okay to walk. Just not so fast, alright?"

Logan grunted and stepped to her side, going towards the door more slowly this time and letting Ororo hook her arm around his. Just as they were about to leave, though, she went back over to the tray by the bed and took the dish with Logan's untouched steak before returning to his side. She was sure he'd be ready to eat once they were out of the confines of the med lab.

.

On their way up to the loft, Logan apparently grew restless and impatient with their slow progress and stopped to lift Ororo into his arms despite her protests. He seemed anxious to get her somewhere that felt safe and familiar. Even though she'd tried to convince him she was quite capable of walking on her own, she was still rather tired, more than she'd expected to be. She sleepily rested her head against his strong chest as he carried her to their room, cradled in his arms.

Logan moved swiftly and carefully, taking the stairs the entire way, as he obviously wasn't too fond of the confining space in the elevator. They didn't run into any of the students, either, and Ororo just assumed the professor had warned everyone that she was returning to her room with Logan.

Ororo was half asleep as Logan pushed the door open with his elbow and an annoyed growl, bringing her to the bed and lying her down gently while tugging the plate of food from her limp hands. She'd nearly forgotten about the steak altogether and it was quite a feat that she hadn't dropped it. Her eyes were closed as she felt the bed dip with Logan's weight, and then his warm body was curling around her, protectively resting a hand over her belly and making soft snuffling noises in her ear.

.

As she drifted awake, still attempting to cling to the warm comfort of sleep, Ororo reluctantly peeled her eyes open due the insistent brightness blaring into her eyelids. The first thing she realized was that she hadn't pulled the window shades down before she went to bed, and the second was that she'd actually slept straight through the night, and in her clothes as well. Suddenly remembering that Logan had carried her to bed, and the last thing her sleepy mind recalled was his burly body curling around her, Ororo was very aware that his weight was absent in bed.

Pushing herself to sit up, Ororo placed a hand over her belly when she felt the baby kick. She sighed with relief, having been worried since she hadn't felt much movement since the scare of the day before. Rubbing sleep out of her eyes, her brows furrowed as she peered around the room in search of her husband.

Spying the open balcony doors, Ororo slid out of bed and padded over, having no doubts that she would find Logan out there. She wasn't wrong. He was sitting down, knees up, leaning with his back against the stone railing and gnawing on the cold steak from the night before.

"Good morning, Logan." He stopped chewing on the piece of meat long enough to cock his head to one side and look at her. Ororo studied him, thinking she noticed something different. Moving closer, she crouched slightly, holding her belly and furrowing her brows. He bit another chunk out of the cold steak and her suspicions were confirmed for certain. Logan's elongated canines were shorter, almost to the normal, slightly-fanged size they'd been before he went feral, and he no longer had the devastating under bite. He was still bulkier than normal, with the thick extra body hair, but the slight change in his facial features made Logan look marginally less wild.

"My sister's coming for a visit today," Ororo said softly, standing straight up again. Logan looked at her, but continued tearing pieces off his steak. She could hear his stomach rumbling even as he ate and absently wondered if he really should be consuming a piece of meat that had been sitting out all night. He'd probably be fine because of his healing factor, but the thought still turned Ororo's stomach slightly. "Do you remember my sister, Vi?"

Logan tilted his head and tore the remaining meat off the bone before tossing it over the balcony and wiping his hands on his shorts.

She looked him up and down as he stood. His feet and shorts were dirty and there were bits of twigs and leaves in his hair. Ororo could tell that he'd been out in woods while she was asleep, either early that morning or sometime last night, she couldn't be sure. As much as he didn't want to leave her side, she knew spending so much time in the infirmary with her had made him tense and restless; he'd needed to expend that nervous energy somehow.

"Come on, Logan." Ororo stepped back into the bedroom and motioned for him to join her. "You're in need of a shower and a change of clothes, and so am I."

_"Hmph."_

.

Ororo took a step back, planted her hands on her jean-clad hips, and gave Logan a onceover. She was hoping to have him fully clothed for her sister's visit, but the only person in the mansion who had a shirt that would fit Logan's bulky upper body was Hank, and trying that had been very unsuccessful. The Beast's scent was all over the shirt, and Logan growled furiously when Kitty brought it upstairs, offering it to him. After digging through the closet, Ororo had found an oversized flannel shirt that just barely fit once the sleeves had been cut off, and even then it couldn't be buttoned without the threat of bursting at the seams every time Logan breathed. Once freshly showered, Logan was dressed in a clean pair of baggy cargo shorts and his sleeveless flannel. He looked pretty ridiculous, but at least he was mostly clothed.

Shrugging, Ororo figured it was just easier to let it go. "Well, it's the best we can do. Better than filthy and half naked, right?" She grimaced apologetically when Logan gave her a confused look and bounded back out to the balcony on all fours. Ororo sighed. Now if only she could get him to walk on two feet the entire time her sister was visiting she could almost pretend things weren't so bad. She knew she was supposed to keep her stress levels down for the baby, but having her sister coming for a visit was making her pretty tense.

Ororo sighed, trying to control her emotions as she realized the sky outside had darkened significantly in the last few minutes and it had begun to rain lightly.

Logan darted back inside from the balcony without her needing to call for him, but instead of stopping beside her, he dodged passed her and went straight to the door. He began growling and pacing near the door, a sure sign that someone was approaching.

Soon, a tap on the door was accompanied by Evan's voice. "Auntie O? It's me, can I come in?"

"Just a minute, Evan." As Logan stood up straight, squaring his shoulders, Ororo gently nudged him aside so she could open the door. _"It's alright,"_ she assured him softly when he gave a disgruntled snort. "Just stand still for a moment while I open the door," Ororo instructed her nephew.

"Okay. Not moving."

As soon as Ororo pulled the door open, Logan shoved his way out and marched up to Evan in a dominating stance. Having learned from his experience in the infirmary the night before, her nephew didn't move a muscle other than tucking in his chin, staring at the floor and being sure not to make eye contact with the Wolverine.

Logan gave the teenager a cursory sniff, then grunted in approval and went to stand at Ororo's side, recognizing Evan once more as a young pack mate, or so she guessed.

"You can come all the way in, now." Ororo waved the boy inside and moved back with Logan.

"Mom called," Evan announced as he cautiously stepped inside the loft. "She'll be here in a few minutes."

Ororo nodded. "Your father's not coming, is he?" she asked tentatively.

Her nephew's brow furrowed. "No, Dad's on a business trip. Why?"

"It's nothing against your father, Evan," Ororo assured him with a smile. "It's just that… I don't think Logan will react well to another adult male entering his…territory. I believe the whole 'territorial alpha male' thing is part of the reason he has such a problem with Hank."

"Oh." Evan rubbed at the back of his head. "What about Professor X? Uncle Logan seems alright with _him_."

"Yes." She nodded. "But Charles is older and physically weaker. Logan doesn't see him as a threat."

"I think I get it." Evan glanced at his feral uncle as Logan sauntered back toward the open balcony doors without stepping outside. "Hey, are you guys gonna come down for breakfast with everyone?"

Ororo smiled tightly. "Ah, I think we'll just wait until your mother gets here to be on the safe side."

"Okay. I'll catch ya later then."

As soon as Evan was gone, Logan returned to her side and gently head-butted her shoulder, nudging her toward the bed and making his soft grunty noises. "Logan," Ororo said in a quiet, exasperated tone as he continued trying to herd her over to the bed.

_"Hrn…hnnh…"_ He nudged her more insistently.

"Oh, fine." Ororo gave in, lying down on the bed, as she got the distinct impression that was exactly what her feral husband had wanted her to do. He climbed onto the mattress beside her and curled against her back as she turned on her side. "Logan, I know I'm supposed to take it easy, but we've only just woken up a short while ago. This is a little ridiculous."

He growled softly and put a possessive arm over her.

She sighed with exasperation, but she was smiling. "Alright, alright. I'll rest. But just until my sister gets here. Then we're going downstairs for breakfast so you can make sure I'm eating enough." Ororo added a slight teasing to her tone, though she knew that in his current state, it probably went right over Logan's head. It didn't matter, though. Joking with him made Ororo feel like things were much more normal than they actually were, and it was a helpful stress reliever.

.


	9. Chapter 9

**Note: **I noticed in the reviews that a few of you feel that Logan hasn't made enough progress yet, and I have to admit that I have definitely been dragging it out a bit because I really enjoy writing regressed!feral Logan. ;) But some of that is also because I have some things planned which I don't want to give away just now. I want you to know that I do listen to you guys, and I'll be tweaking some of the chapters I have already been working on. Logan will be showing even more progress, but just bear with me a few more chapters and the verbalizing will happen a little more as well.

Also, I want to say THANK YOU to my anonymous reviewers that I was unable to personally reply to! :)

**Chapter Nine**

**_Ororo?_**

_Yes, Charles? _Ororo returned, trying not to physically react to the psychic call so as not to make Logan anxious.

**_Your sister is ready for you to come down, now. Evan and I have had a little talk with her about your and Logan's current situation. The other students have eaten their breakfasts already, and Evan is the only one staying._**

_Thank you. We'll be down shortly. _Ororo lifted her head and began to sit up, causing Logan to stir behind her. "Are you ready to have a proper breakfast, now?" She smiled when his stomach rumbled in response, and knew the cold steak he'd wolfed down when she got up hadn't been enough to satisfy his fast metabolism.

Logan grunted and hopped down from the bed, following her to the door a moment later. He was alert and a little suspicious as they left the room, hovering close at Ororo's side. Half way down the stairs to the foyer, Logan began sniffing repeatedly and a low rumble emitted from his chest.

Guessing that he'd caught her sister's scent, Ororo swiftly hooked an arm around his, trying to calm him. "Easy, it's just Vi. You know her, Logan; try and remember."

His brows furrowed in concentration and he whined softly. Ororo continued to slowly tug him along with her in the direction of the kitchen. He was at least still walking mostly upright, if not a little hunched over in what had become his typical predatory-like posture.

"Rrrr." Logan remained a little hesitant even as they slowly entered the kitchen where Evan was already seated at the table alongside his mother, four places set with serving dishes filled with breakfast foods at the center.

Ororo instantly smiled brightly at her big sister. "Vi," she greeted warmly. "I'm glad you came." Despite her nerves about her sister's visit, she was still happy to see her.

"Oh, Ororo, you look beautiful!" Vi exclaimed, looking like she was resisting the urge to get up from her chair. Her eyes flickered to Logan briefly before refocusing on her sister and smiling tightly. "I want to give you a hug, but your professor warned me not to run up and do that."

Sighing softly, Ororo nodded and tightened her grip on Logan's burly arm when he tensed, jerking slightly in the direction of her sister. "I'm sorry, Vi. Just…stand up very slowly and keep your hands at your sides for a moment with your chin down."

Vi's brows furrowed with some confusion, and she opened her mouth to speak, but Evan placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's fine, Mom. Just do it, okay? Uncle Logan needs to check you out, then everything'll be cool," he tried to assure his mother.

"As strange as it sounds, Evan is correct," Ororo said softly. Vi still looked uncertain, and Ororo nodded at her encouragingly. "Please."

Finally nodding, Vi slid her chair back slowly and stood, keeping her arms straight at her sides and staring down at the table. She flinched slightly as Ororo let go of Logan's arm and he swiftly moved around the table, marching right up to her with stiff shoulders and a set jaw.

"He's going to invade your personal space for a moment, and probably sniff you," Ororo warned, her tone apologetic. "Just stay still and don't be alarmed."

Logan did exactly that, though he didn't give Vi the intense level of scrutiny as he'd done with Evan in the med lab. Ororo wasn't sure if it was because he was getting hints of her own and Evan's scent on Vi due to their familial relation, or because she wasn't a male. Whatever the reason, he assessed her quickly and then returned to Ororo's side.

Evan nudged his mother gently. "You're good now, Mom. That means he's cool with you. You can sit back down."

"Oh. Um, alright." Retaking her seat, Vi gave Ororo an uneasy look across the table as she and Logan sat down.

"I'm sorry, Vi," Ororo murmured apologetically. She sighed. "I know these circumstances are rather odd."

"Don't worry, 'Ro, it's fine. This situation is out of your control, and I can clearly see that. But I also understand the need to stand by your family no matter what."

Ororo nodded at her sister's words, hoping she really did understand. She smiled tightly when she heard Logan's stomach rumble loudly beside her and turned to find him eagerly staring at the serving dishes filled with breakfast foods.

"Can we eat now? I'm starved," Evan exclaimed before she had to say something.

"Evan," his mother scolded half-heartedly.

The teen grimaced. "Sorry, Mom."

Ororo laughed softly "It's alright. Let's eat." As her sister and nephew began loading their plates with food, she worriedly realized that this was the first actual sit-down meal Logan had had since his feral regression. His other meals were mainly eaten upstairs in their loft or outside, and most were foods that could be eaten with your hands. She had no idea how he was going to behave, especially considering their little practice dinner in the danger room hadn't gone so well. They hadn't even gotten to the food part before all hell broke loose.

She filled Logan's plate for him before he lost patience, piling on sausages, scrambled eggs, toast, and homefries. Ororo stuck to eggs, toast, and some fruit salad for herself, the smell of greasy potatoes and meat making her a little queasy. She offered Logan his fork and was met with a confused expression. _"Like this," _she said so softly, Ororo knew only her husband's enhanced hearing would pick it up. Lifting her own fork, she demonstrated using it on her plate, stabbing at some fruit and putting it in her mouth. She offered Logan his fork again.

Closing his fist around the handle, Logan's brows furrowed as he grunted and tried to mimic Ororo. After making a few unsuccessful stabs at the scrambled eggs and sausage, unable to get a significant amount to stay on the fork, Logan gave up on that tactic. He hunched closely over his plate and used the fork like spoon, shoveling more satisfying amounts of eggs, sausage, and potatoes into his mouth.

Ororo grimaced when she looked up to find Vi gaping at him in wide-eyed shock.

_"Mom," _she heard Evan whisper sharply, nudging his mother's arm. _"Stop, you're staring."_

"Oh." Vi cleared her throat awkwardly and changed her focus to her own food.

_"Logan." _ Ororo went to move his plate closer when she realized half of his meal was winding up on the floor. He growled as soon as her fingertips got close, protecting his food. "Don't you growl at me," she scolded sharply, smacking at his hand without thinking.

Logan's chin jerked up in shock and he stopped eating. _"Hnn…" _He whined and hung his head in shame and confusion like a scolded dog.

Releasing a frustrated sigh, she put her hand gently on Logan's shoulder. _"It's okay," _she whispered to him gently. _"I know you didn't mean anything by it. It was instinctive." _Ororo tried to calm herself, not wanting to get stressed, but the entire situation was making her uneasy and agitated. She wanted her sister to really understand so badly, to see how much Logan loved her and know that despite how he was currently behaving, he would never hurt her or their unborn child.

No longer feeling very hungry, Ororo pushed her plate aside and gave her older sister an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry, Vi. You just caught us at a bad time." She didn't quite know what to tell her sister, but she didn't want Vi to know just why Logan was currently all super alpha male overprotective and on edge more than usual. Her sister would worry for her even more if she was aware of Ororo's early labor scare.

"Hey, Auntie O, you want me to try and take Uncle Logan somewhere for a little while so you and Mom can have a chance to talk?" Evan offered, shoving his last bite of egg in his mouth and standing up.

Ororo considered his offer and glanced warily at her feral husband. She pushed his plate toward him so he'd start eating again and know she wasn't mad at him. Logan tentatively picked up a piece of sausage, and when she didn't react, ate it and quickly began shoveling the rest of the food in his mouth. "See if you can get Kitty or Rogue to go with you. He'll feel more comfortable with one of them around if I'm not there."

Vi gave her an odd look, but Evan nodded with understanding. "Okay, sure. I'll be right back."

.

Walking down the corridor on one side of Logan while Kitty moved along at the other, and Evan about ten steps behind, Rogue felt a little more confident around the feral man than she had the day before. She drew upon the knowledge she had of Logan inside her head from their accident, and found she had a little bit better understanding of his feral thought process.

"Where are we going anyway?" Kitty asked, watching Logan move uneasily along the corridor, half hunched over with his eyes darting around wildly, his breathing harsh and heavy.

"I figured we'd just take him to the loft, right?" Evan offered from behind them. "All we have to do is keep Uncle Logan distracted for a while so Auntie O an' my mom can have a chance to talk."

"Uh…guys? Is he okay?" Kitty peered at Logan, then glanced over at Rogue hesitantly. "He's breathing like really loud and he seems more jumpy than usual."

"He's just agitated. He ain't comfortable bein' this far away from Ororo," Rogue explained, understanding his behavior.

"He seemed to be okay with it before," Kitty murmured with confusion as their small entourage continued moving.

"Yeah. That was before yesterday. Before Ororo was put in the med lab. He's more anxious tah be away from her now," Rogue said softly.

"Maybe he'll calm down once we get him to their room? You know, a place more familiar?" Evan jogged a little to catch up, getting right beside Kitty until Logan spun and growled at him, baring his teeth. "Whoa!" He threw his hands up in a non-threatening gesture and grimaced bashfully. "I'll back off. Take it easy, man."

Rogue couldn't help laughing shortly at Evan's reaction. "It's okay. Ah think he's just a little more aggressive toward you boys 'cuz y'all are like…young males in his pack that needta be shown who's in charge an' all. An' he's protective of us girls 'cuz he's the alpha male an' that's like his job or somethin'." She shrugged. "Best Ah can figure anyways."

Evan made a face as he backed away from Kitty, resuming his position a few paces behind their group of three. "His pack? And how do you know?"

"Like a wolfpack Ah guess." Rogue shrugged again. "Ah know 'cuz Ah have him inside my head." She tapped her temple. "An' now Ah get why he is the way he is 'round Scott."

"Really?" Kitty's eyebrows went up with interest. "Why? I mean, besides the fact that Scott like blasted him into a wall."

Rogue looked at Logan as they started moving again, nearing the loft steps. She scrunched her nose and brow in thought, trying to find the fuzzy bits of Wolverine's feral psyche inside her mind. "Scott's like an' up an' coming young male, challenging him as alpha. The way Cyclops has always got that authoritative tone an' gives orders an' stuff, Logan sees that as a challenge. It probably doesn't help that Logan can't see Scott's eyes, so he never knows if he's lookin' at 'im or not. But it's also 'cuz Scott doesn't trust him right now, an' Logan can smell it."

"Oh," Kitty and Evan both murmured at the same time.

"So…as long as we don't run into Scott everything'll be cool, right?" Evan wanted to know.

Logan suddenly bounded ahead, dropping to all fours and charging up the loft steps.

Rogue, Evan, and Kitty didn't bother running to catch up. Nodding in response to Evan's question, Rogue elaborated, "Jean, either. At least right now. He wasn't too happy tah see 'er last time 'cuz she was with Scott when he got blasted."

"They went out for the day, so I think we're good for a couple hours at least," Kitty said reassuringly.

"Good." Heading up the steps and into the loft, Rogue looked around for Logan, finally spying him out on the balcony, perched on the railing. She motioned for Kitty and Evan to stay put so they wouldn't crowd him, then slowly walked out through the open doors. "Uh, hey," she murmured softly, for lack of anything better to say.

Logan grunted but didn't move, continuing to peer out over the grounds. Rogue stayed out on the balcony with him for a while, making sure he didn't bolt. When he finally hopped down from the railing and went inside, all he did was prowl back and forth in front of the loft door, eagerly awaiting Ororo's return and growing increasingly agitated.

Kitty and Evan both looked worried that Logan was about to destroy something when he suddenly went still, nostrils flaring as he darted for the door. Rogue figured he'd scented Ororo on her way up, because if it had been anyone else he would've surely growled.

"I thought you might have taken him up here," Ororo said with a small smile as she walked in the door. Logan took the few steps to reach her and sniffed audibly, nuzzling the side of her neck. She cupped his scruffy cheek and kissed the top of his head. _"It's alright, I'm back,"_ she assured Logan in s gentle croon, stroking his hair.

"Where's Mom?" Evan wanted to know, noticing she wasn't with his aunt.

"Down in the foyer." Ororo looked up at him. "She's waiting for you."

"Oh, okay." He nodded distractedly and rubbed at the back of his head. "Did it go okay talking with her? I mean, about Uncle Logan and everything?"

"I think so, yes."

"That's good." Evan replied.

Rogue shared a look with Kitty and they edged toward the doorway with Evan as Logan and Ororo moved away from it. "Well, Ah guess we oughtta get goin'."

"Thank you all for keeping Logan occupied for a little while," Ororo told them in a soft, appreciative voice.

"It was no problem, Ororo." Kitty smiled at her.

"Yeah," Rogue agreed. "He was just real anxious tah see yah."

"Yes, I noticed that." Ororo smiled a little, her gaze flickering to Logan standing firmly at her side.

"Bye, Auntie O. I'll see you when I get back."

"Goodbye, Evan. Have a good trip home, and tell your father I said hello when you see him."

"I will."

Rogue gave a short wave to the pregnant woman and her feral guardian, closing the door behind them as she, Evan and Kitty left the loft. Now that she'd finally embraced the knowledge she'd gotten from absorbing Logan after Sabretooth's attack, Rogue felt further determined to try and understand him and his feral ways.

.

"I think I'm ready for a nap," Ororo mused aloud tiredly as she slid her shoes off and waddled over to the bed. Having an emotion-filled chat with her older sister had left her feeling quite drained, but Ororo also felt relieved in that Vi appeared to somewhat understand her love and devotion towards Logan and vice versa.

Logan made a high-pitched noise in concern and watched her protectively as she climbed up on the bed over the covers and laid down.

"I'm fine, just tired," Ororo insisted as she snuggled into her pillow with a yawn, one hand resting over her bulging baby bump. "Following doctor's orders," she murmured, knowing for a fact that Hank would probably have scolded her if he knew what she'd been up to today already, emotionally. She assumed he'd give her a lecture on the meaning of ' low stress' and go from there.

She listened to Logan pacing around the bed for a while, and was about to suggest he leave the loft and maybe get some of his energy out, but she knew he wouldn't stray far from her. The only place he'd go would be out on the balcony, and even then he'd probably keep popping in the room to check on her. With a resigned sigh, Ororo closed her eyes and tried not to let his constant pacing stress her out.

Soon the sound of Logan's bare feet padding back and forth became a soft, lulling noise that was oddly comforting and helped put her to sleep.

.


	10. Chapter 10

**Note: **Extra long chapter for you guys this week! Summer vacation's over, the kids are back in school, and Logan makes a leap forward! :) Hope you like.

**Chapter Ten**

Summer vacation quickly came to an end, and in the first week of September, the kids were all back in school. Ororo had been following doctor's orders, as difficult as it was, taking it easy and doing a lot of resting as well as cathartic activities. Watering her plants and tending to her new indoor garden in the loft was very calming for her, and having a little more of nature inside appeared to have a similar effect on Logan as well.

With the continued help of Kitty and Rogue, Logan had even gotten used to spending a bit of time away from Ororo without being so agitated that something might happen to her if he wasn't keeping a constant vigil. Kitty had convinced him to wear a communicator on his wrist that matched one given to Ororo, explaining that if his wife needed him at any time he could be contacted. Despite his mainly non-verbal ways of communicating, Logan had appeared to understand the concept.

Ororo had noticed more changes in Logan's physical appearance in the past few days; the excessive muscle mass he'd gained upon going feral had gradually lessened to the degree that he was back to his pre-adamantium extraction size, and the fur-like body hair was gone as well. The only reason he continued to look so wild was because he kept romping around barefoot and half-dressed, and his face was still unshaven with the longer, unkempt sideburns. He was also still galloping around on all fours seventy-percent of the time and rarely spoke actual words around anyone but her.

What really concerned Ororo, however, were the dark circles she'd begun to notice around Logan's eyes, and the sudden lethargy he'd been exhibiting in the last day or so. It was so disconcerting because Logan's healing factor prevented him from suffering common ailments, and if it was a lack of sleep causing this condition, his mutant ability would do its best to counter the effects of that as well. Logan would have had to have been losing sleep for some time in order for his healing factor to have difficulty keeping up, and that's what deeply worried Ororo.

Lying on her side in bed, she hummed softly and rubbed circles over her stomach, all the while studying Logan, who was crouched on the armchair in the corner of the room, watching at her. "Logan, come to bed," she called softly, patting the space in front of her.

He huffed out a short breath through his nose and tilted his head a moment before leaping off the chair and bounding over to the bed in the dark. Logan slowly got on the mattress without taking off his tattered cargo shorts and settled down facing away from her.

Ororo snuggled up to his back as closely as she could with a gigantic baby bump between them and fell asleep, curling an arm around his bicep possessively.

She awoke in the middle of the night with the need to relieve her bladder, and was startled to discover Logan perched on the corner chair again, watching her like a guard dog. Ororo frowned slightly as his dark eyes silently followed her graceless roll out of bed. "Is this what you've been doing at night? Staying awake and watching me? How long has this been going on?" At his typical lack of response she stopped in front of him and sighed softly. "Logan, the baby and I are fine. I'm not going to break, and you need to sleep, too."

"_Nnn-no." _Logan muttered with a soft growly noise.

Ororo sighed at his stubbornness and pointed firmly at the bed. "Lie down and go to sleep." She hated treating him like a dog, but sometimes that particular tone with a command was the only thing that worked.

"_Hnnh…"_ He made a low noise in his throat and lumbered toward the bed.

Ororo waggled a finger at him. "Ah-ah. Get undressed first this time."

Logan straightened his stance with a blank look.

"Your shorts." She gestured to his tattered cargos. "Off."

Snorting, Logan clumsily shucked the filthy shorts and climbed onto the bed in his boxers, circling briefly on all fours before lying down.

Ororo smiled at her little victory and quickly continued off to the bathroom before she had an embarrassing accident.

As she returned to bed a few minutes later, Logan's breaths were heavy and even, and he appeared to be down for the count. Ororo couldn't be sure he wasn't feigning sleep, but didn't know if he was wily enough to do that in his feral mindset. Choosing to believe he was actually sleeping, Ororo got back in bed and drifted off again.

.

Morning arrived, dreary and rainy. Ororo knew she had the power to change that and reveal the sun, but chose to let nature run its course. Rainy days were good for lying in bed, relaxing, and following her doctor's orders. Now all she needed to worry about was having someone around to keep Logan occupied for a while, knowing he wouldn't be able to sit still long enough to lie around with her all day watching movies on the couch in the rec room.

The only problem was that the kids were all at school and the only others in the mansion were Charles and Hank. The Professor wouldn't be able to keep up with Logan, and having her feral husband spend any time with Henry was definitely out of the question. Seeing the big blue beast still evoked a dangerous response in Wolverine, and it was an issue that was definitely going to require their attention at some point, especially if Hank was going to be the one delivering their baby. Ororo knew she'd been intentionally putting off the encounter, as had Hank. As her doctor, he was concerned that the meeting between them would prove to be too stressful.

Hank had even suggested that Ororo not be there for the eventual encounter so that Logan would be a little less driven by protective instincts, but she still didn't think her husband was quite ready for that yet. She wasn't sure _Hank _was ready for that yet. Especially once Rogue came to Ororo in private, revealing some of Logan's feral thoughts that were still in her head. In Logan's mind, an encounter with Hank wouldn't involve the simple 'standing still without making eye contact' sizing up. Because of Hank's sheer size and beastly presence, Logan felt the need to physically battle Hank to prove his dominance and secure his place in the mansion as alpha male.

Learning the circumstances from Rogue, Henry even offered to let Logan knock him down without putting up much resistance, but Ororo had feared that Logan would know he was only feigning submission and become enraged. It was far too dangerous to take the risk.

Emerging from the bathroom fresh out of the shower, Ororo waddled over to the bed where she'd laid out her clothes. She dressed slowly and methodically before it even occurred to her that she didn't know where Logan was. The balcony doors were still open as usual, but only slightly so that all the rain wasn't coming in. She knew he wasn't outside in the storm. "Logan?"

Ororo breathed out softly in relief when the door to the hall creaked open and Logan poked his head in. His hair was still damp from the shower he'd taken just before her, and as he fully lumbered back into the room, she noticed that he hadn't finished getting dressed. He was only wearing some plaid boxer shorts, and she saw his clean pair of jeans lying in a heap on the floor, like he'd dashed out while in the process of getting dressed. Brows furrowing curiously, she waved him closer. "What were you doing out there?"

"Hurrh." Logan dropped into a crouch.

Pursing her lips, Ororo moved toward him and bent carefully to retrieve his jeans from the floor. Her best guess was that he must have smelled or heard something and gone out the door to investigate. She held Logan's pants out to him. "Put those on so we can go downstairs and get breakfast."

He rose from his crouch to comply, tentatively taking the jeans from her and clumsily putting them on. Logan usually had an easier time with the baggy cargo shorts, but with the weather getting a little cooler each day, Ororo tried to get him to cover up a little more. Her next obstacle would be getting Logan to wear a shirt now that he could fit into all his old clothes again. Not that she minded the view, however.

.

During breakfast Ororo noticed that Logan was particularly lethargic, and he didn't eat as much as he normally did either. When they had finished, she cleaned up after them and then returned to the loft, hoping for a short nap. Usually at this point Logan would be restless and full of energy, but today he dragged on behind her sluggishly as they went back to the room. Ororo figured that maybe once the kids returned from school, Kitty or Rogue could try taking him to the danger room with the forest program running. Perhaps she could get Logan to nap with her now, and he would feel a little more energetic in the afternoon.

Lying down with a blanket and listening to the rain, Ororo called Logan over, but he wouldn't get on the bed. "Mrr..." He whined softly and gazed longingly out towards the balcony before finally going to crouch on the floor near the parted doors, gazing out into the storm.

Ororo sighed, her eyelids growing heavy as she watched Logan sit there motionless, just staring at the falling rain.

When she felt the baby grow restless within her womb, Ororo surfaced from her nap and blinked blearily at the dreary atmosphere of the loft. The rain still beat down steadily, pattering loudly against the skylights above. She rubbed a hand in soothing circles over her rounded belly and looked toward the floor in front of the balcony doors where she'd last seen Logan. He wasn't there, but the doors were open all the way and rain was coming inside.

Curious, Ororo pushed herself to sit up and slid toward the edge of the bed, letting her legs dangle over the side so she could better see outside. To her surprise, Logan was standing out on the balcony, his form a little blurry due to the torrential rain coming down. She sat up a little straighter as the baby did a slow somersault, and stared at her husband's drenched, statue-like presence just outside the loft. Leaning sideways slightly to get a better view and call him inside, Ororo was shocked when Logan's legs gave out from underneath him without warning and he collapsed onto the rain-soaked balcony.

"Logan!" she cried out in alarm, pushing to her feet and supporting her belly with one hand while waddling out to her husband. Ororo crouched beside him as much as she was able, placing her hand on his cool, rain-drenched shoulder. "Logan? Logan, what's wrong? Please, you need to get up." She shook him gently, but he didn't budge, eyes struggling to stay open futilely as he waged a war against unconsciousness.

There was no way Ororo would be able to physically drag Logan inside without risking harm to herself and the baby. She needed help. A glance at the bedside clock let her know that the kids had not yet returned from school, and that left only one person available that had the ability to move Logan: Hank. It was a risk, but a risk she would just have to take. Ororo refused to leave him lying there out in the rain until he could get himself up or the kids returned from school.

Rising from his side with some effort, and using the door as leverage, she went to the phone and called for Henry on the intercom. He finally picked up in the library. "Henry, I need your help," she said desperately as soon as he answered.

"_Ororo? Are you alright? What's happened?"_

"It's not for me, I'm fine," she assured him quickly, her voice calm and composed. It was no use getting herself worked up. "Logan's collapsed out on the loft balcony and I can't get him inside."

She heard the doctor exhale softly into the receiver. _"I'll be right there." _

.

Hank arrived quickly, bounding into the room with a stethoscope around his neck as he made a beeline for Ororo and the balcony doors. She stepped aside as he came out into the rain and effortlessly pulled her unconscious feral husband into his massive, blue-furred arms, hoisting him over one broad shoulder without hesitation.

"Where would you like me to set him down?"

"The bed is fine, Henry. Just wait a moment; let me grab some towels." Ororo shuffled into the bathroom as swiftly as she was able (which wasn't very), taking several thick towels from the closet and returning to the bed. She laid a few over the comforter and motioned for Hank to set Logan down.

Nodding, Henry laid the soaking wet Wolverine down on the towels with great care, taking his stethoscope from around his neck to listen to the feral's heartbeat.

"I don't think he's genuinely slept in over a week, ever since I had the scare with the baby," Ororo stated softly, standing by the foot of the bed and rubbing her arms. "That's probably when this all started. I suspect he's been guarding me and not sleeping." She frowned with concern. "I caught him just watching me last night and tried to get him to rest, but I think he was only pretending until I went back to sleep."

Hank pulled the stethoscope down from his ears and turned toward her, nodding. "His heart-rate is strong and steady." He abruptly went still as a statue when a sudden weak growl rose from the bed.

Ororo moved closer, standing beside Hank. Logan's eyes weren't open, but his nostrils were flaring and his upper lip kept twitching up in a snarl. He was still fighting to stay awake, and he could probably smell Hank nearby as well as hear him. "Logan?"

"_Hnnhh….rrf…" _He stirred slightly, but his body wasn't cooperating enough to let him fully wake or even get up.

"Easy, my friend," Hank murmured, bravely placing his large hand on Logan's chest.

Ororo inhaled sharply as her husband's eyes flicked open and he brought up his right arm, Logan's hand weakly grabbing at the furry doctor's thick wrist as they made eye contact. "Henry—"

"It's—I think it's alright," he insisted softly.

Brows furrowing in confusion, Ororo looked between Logan and Hank, a strange sort of understanding passing between them. She thought maybe that Logan could finally see that Hank was only trying to help, and no longer appeared as though he wanted to fight the big blue mutant.

"I assure you, Logan, I have no interest in being the alpha male in this household," Hank promised calmly, quirking a brief smile.

"_Hrh…Haaaank."_ Logan tiredly tilted his head where he lay, releasing Beast's wrist and grunting softly as his eyes drifted back to Ororo.

The blue-furred doctor grinned. "That's right, my friend."

Ororo wasn't sure if Logan finally sensed Hank's sincerity or what, but for the first time in a while, the feral wasn't growling or displaying any kind of aggression toward the big, blue beast.

Hank gave a short nod and took a step back, turning toward Ororo. "We need to get him out of his wet clothes."

Ororo pursed her lips. "Perhaps I should take care of that alone, Hank. Although Logan appears to be alright in your presence at the moment, that might very well change if you start undressing him." She gave a little smile when the doctor's eyes widened and he ducked his head slightly.

"Ah, yes, that's a fair point my dear. I'll just step outside while you take care of that, then I'll have a closer look at him."

Logan was losing his struggle to keep conscious as Hank stepped out, and Ororo leaned over him with a warm smile, placing her hand to his cool, damp cheek. "It's alright to rest now. The baby and I will be fine without you watching us twenty-four-seven; I promise."

"_Hrr…" _Groaning softly, Logan's eyes drifted closed for a few seconds until she started to unbutton his jeans. Then his eyes snapped back open and his right leg twitched. _"Nnh?"_

"You need to get dry and warm," Ororo said softly, tugging the clingy, soaking fabric of his jeans and boxers down his narrow hips. Logan gave a disgruntled snort and growled when he couldn't sit himself up. Ignoring his frustration, she tossed his wet clothing aside and then dried him off with the rest of the towels before covering him up in a blanket so Hank could come back in. "Logan, relax." She gently patted his chest and then turned to call to the door. "All clear, Hank."

Logan managed to push himself over onto his side and let out an irritated growl as his shaky limbs struggled to cooperate. He dropped back down onto the mattress with a heavy exhale.

Hank still approached cautiously despite their sudden apparent understanding, just to be on the safe side. He looked Logan over without touching him, studying the feral's weak movements and obvious lack of energy before turning to Ororo with a slight frown. "Has he eaten today?"

"This morning, but very little." Ororo nodded and hugged her arms around herself. "I should've noticed sooner, but the last few days he's been a little lethargic, and much more-so today."

"Mm-hm." Hank rubbed his furry chin thoughtfully. "I think you were right about him not sleeping. For Logan's healing factor to be driven to the point where it can no longer keep up, he must have thoroughly exhausted himself by depriving his body of sleep since he has not been injured recently."

Ororo pursed her lips, frowning. "Is there anything I can do?"

"He'll need to actually sleep; I recommend several straight hours today, then back to a normal nightly schedule." Hank glanced down at Logan again, who was still trying to keep his eyes open, even though he couldn't get up. "If you can't convince Logan to sleep then give me a call and I'll have to administer a heavy sedative. As much as I am aware that both you and he would prefer I not go to such an extreme measure, you know as well as I do, Ororo, that Logan can not keep going on without sleep. It isn't healthy pushing his healing factor like this."

She sighed. "Yes, I understand Hank."

He nodded and smiled kindly at her, and Ororo followed him to the door. "Listen, Ororo, you don't need this added stress either, so if you want someone to sit with Logan a while so you can relax and have a break, I'm sure Kitty or Rogue wouldn't mind. They should be back from school soon."

"I know. Thank you, Henry. I'm trying not to get worked up, and I'll call for one of the girls if I think I need to."

Hank smiled warmly at her and stepped out the door. "I'll check in later."

"Alright." Ororo sighed softly as he left, lingering by the door when she closed it behind him.

"_Hrrnn…nnnrrhh…"_

"I'm right here, Logan," Ororo hushed gently as she returned to the bed. She laid down behind him and urged him to roll to his back so she could snuggle up against his chest. She brushed damp hair from Logan's forehead and then lightly stroked her warm hand along his bare chest, cuddling as close as she was able with the baby bump between them.

"Please sleep, love," she murmured softly, her thumb sweeping back and forth against his collarbone. "_Please_," Ororo pleaded again. She could still feel him fighting it, the way he twitched intermittently, tensing and relaxing every few minutes. "Logan, you're worrying me. You need to be healthy just as much as the baby and I. You're important, too. Please, just sleep. Nothing's going to happen."

He groaned softly and heaved a sigh that Ororo took as reluctant compliance.

As she lay against him, Ororo could finally tell he was starting to let go, let the fatigue take over and just give in to unconsciousness. She tried to calm her own mind, listening to Logan's steady breathing as he slept at last.

Ororo napped again for a short while, and when she woke, was pleased to discover that Logan was still asleep. He definitely wasn't faking this time. She smiled down at him and carefully got off the bed, padding quietly into the bathroom.

Her stomach was growling by the time she was done, the baby starting to wake up and move around as well, reminding her that it was getting late in the afternoon and she hadn't had any lunch yet. Deciding she'd like to walk around a bit and leave the room, Ororo quietly went over to the phone to see if Rogue or Kitty was around to stay with Logan for a little bit so she could go downstairs and have a bite to eat.

.

"He's sound asleep right now, Kitty," Ororo assured her softly as she quietly entered the loft. "Hank said that Logan's just overtired, so if he wakes up just let him know that I'll be back soon and he can go back to sleep."

"Okay." Kitty nodded and walked over to the small desk in the corner of the room to set her backpack down. She'd brought her schoolwork with her so she'd have something to do besides sit there and watch Logan sleep.

"I shouldn't be too long."

"Take your time. I've got homework to keep me busy anyways." Smiling reassuringly at the pregnant woman, Kitty started taking out her books as Ororo glanced back at Logan one more time before quietly slipping out the door.

With the rain still coming down loudly against the skylights and casting a darkness within the loft, Kitty turned on the desk lamp and flipped through her notebook. She quickly started in on her homework, turning around every once in a while to check up on Logan. He never moved besides the steady rise and fall of his chest, and eventually Kitty lost herself in her books, forgetting to turn around altogether.

A loud thumping noise startled her sometime later, and Kitty nearly knocked her chair back as she stood rapidly and spun around. _"OHMIGOD," _she gasped as she discovered a very naked Wolverine crouched beside the bed and turned back around, covering her eyes. "I like _so _did not need to see that." Wincing, she clenched her eyes shut briefly and stumbled sideways in search of a bureau, keeping one hand up to shield her peripheral vision from accidently catching a glimpse again.

Reaching the dresser, Kitty began pulling drawers open in search of some pants for the feral man. She felt bad for going through his and Ororo's things, but she definitely didn't want to be babysitting a naked Logan while she waited for Ororo to get back.

"Huhnn…hrrh…" Logan made a few low, guttural sounds, and Kitty could hear him moving around behind her.

Kitty momentarily stopped rifling through the drawers and closed her eyes, fling a hand out behind her in a halting motion. "Whoa, whoa! Just…Just stay there like a sec and don't move." She thought she heard him stop and then opened her eyes again, going through the next drawer down. Thankfully, it was full of old t-shirts and pajama pants. Grabbing a pair of black sweats, she tossed them backwards over her shoulder and closed her eyes firmly. "Put those on, 'kay?"

Waiting patiently, Kitty listened for sounds of Logan dressing. When she finally heard the tell-tale rustle of soft fabric and some other clumsy movements, she counted another thirty seconds in her head and then turned slowly, squinting in case he wasn't dressed and she'd need to snap her eyes shut again.

She breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw that he'd put the sweats on, and fully opened her eyes. Logan was crouched just a few feet behind her, head tipped, peering at her curiously. "I know," Kitty said softly with a tight smile. "I bet you're like wondering why I'm here and Ororo's not, huh?"

Logan's head tilted in the other direction, his nostrils flaring slightly as he sniffed and grunted.

"It's okay. Ororo just went downstairs for a little while to get something to eat. She'll be back up soon, though, and she told me to tell you it was alright to go back to sleep."

Standing up straight, Logan staggered sideways a few steps before dropping back down into a teetering crouch.

Kitty lurched toward him, noticing for the first time how tired he really looked. It was hard to tell with so little light in the room, but now that she was closer to him, Kitty could make out the dark circles under his eyes, and saw the way he swayed, even while practically sitting on the floor. "Hey, let's get you back to the bed." She reached for his arm slowly to help him stand up, but he jerked away with a growl.

Holding her hands up in a non-threatening gesture, Kitty took half a step back. "Okay, okay, I won't help then." She sighed and rolled her eyes, wondering how Ororo dealt with him when he was like this. Kitty figured the older woman had a much easier time trying to boss Logan around though, because according to Rogue, Ororo was the alpha female in the pack and therefore the only person Logan would defer to. The feral mutant pretty much saw Kitty and the other teens as pups, so there was really no chance of her helping Logan or ordering him around if he didn't let her.

Since he wouldn't allow her to help, Kitty patiently followed just behind Logan as he groggily moved toward the bed on all fours. Every step was slow and deliberate, like he didn't have the strength to walk properly or even get up all the way. Dammit, she wished he didn't have to be so darn stubborn.

Logan stopped beside the bed but appeared put off by the effort it would take to climb back onto it. Snagging a pillow, he hunkered down on the area rug with a grunt and heavy sigh.

Kitty was surprised as she realized how exhausted Logan was when he dropped off to sleep almost immediately. Tip-toeing over carefully, she pulled the blanket from the bed and gently draped it over the slumbering feral before returning to her schoolwork at the desk in the corner. She smiled to herself and sat down as she began to hear Logan's deep, growly snores.

When Ororo came back upstairs carrying a dish of food and a bottle of Gatorade, which Kitty presumed were both for Logan, she closed her school books and got up from the desk. "Hey, Ororo."

"Hi, Kitty." Ororo's brows furrowed as she looked around the loft in confusion. "Where's—" she cut herself off, moving over to the bed and noticing Logan on the floor beside it. "Oh."

"He, uh, woke up and then kinda couldn't get back on the bed and like wouldn't let me help. I managed to get him to put some pants on though." Kitty grimaced bashfully and then offered a helpless shrug.

Putting a hand to her forehead, Ororo looked over at her apologetically. "Oh dear, I am so sorry, Kitty. I should have thought to get him dressed before I left, but I didn't think he'd try to get up. I should've known better."

Kitty shrugged and waved a hand dismissively, trying to make herself feel less awkward about the situation. "I turned around quick and closed my eyes so I'm not gonna be like totally scarred for life or anything." She felt like smacking herself in the forehead for that bold, yet _incredibly lame _bit of blubbering. Her cheeks were aflame with mortification.

.

Ororo laughed at the teenager's attempt to play off her embarrassment and offered a smile and a teasing remark. "Well I'm glad, then. I was worried about that." She winked at Kitty and then padded closer to Logan.

Crouching low or bending over was rather difficult in her current condition, so Ororo gently nudged Logan's arm with her bare foot. She didn't want to wake him, but eating and drinking something with much needed nutrients would offer his body fuel to help recharge him along with the replenishing sleep. "Logan?"

His loud snoring choked off abruptly and he turned on his side while cracking open one sleepy brown eye. _"Hrmf? …'Rrro?"_

"I brought you something to eat." Ororo turned and motioned for Kitty to grab the plate she'd left on the bureau near the door and tried not to laugh at the girl's disgusted face as she carried over the dish filled with mainly meat.

Logan sniffed loudly and attempted to sit up as Kitty brought the food closer. There were two rare-cooked steaks piled atop one another with a heap of oven roasted potatoes and some cold green bean salad.

"Here, Logan." Kitty offered him the plate and gave Ororo the Gatorade bottle.

Ororo sat on the edge of the bed as she watched him devour the first steak, setting the plate in his lap and eating with his hands. She hadn't bothered bringing him a fork, knowing he wouldn't have used it anyway.

Kitty went to gather her school work at the desk while Logan swiftly demolished everything on his plate, even the green beans.

Uncapping the Gatorade bottle, Ororo held it out to Logan when he'd finished his food. He gave her a puzzled look but took the bottle tentatively and started drinking, grimacing at the taste. "I know you don't really like this stuff, but just finish it all, please," she said softly. "It's good for you. You need the electrolytes."

He gave a reluctant grunt before doing as she'd asked, then rumbled out an irritated growl when he tried to settle back down on the floor and Ororo grabbed at his arm.

"On the bed, come on," she urged gently, her free hand resting on her belly. Ororo knew she really shouldn't be doing anything as physically strenuous as hoisting Logan to his feet. "Kitty, would you mind giving me a hand?"

"Sure." Kitty set her bag down and hurried to get on Logan's other side but refrained from touching him just yet. She gave Ororo a look of uncertainty. "Uh, last time he wouldn't let me."

"Don't worry," Ororo smiled reassuringly.

As Kitty reached for Logan's arm he pulled away and snarled softly. It wasn't an angry snarl meant for an enemy, but more like a scolding snarl to a disobedient pup.

"Logan," Ororo said firmly, one hand on her belly. "Let Kitty help you up. I can't lift you on my own."

"_Hmph." _He snorted, but when the teen grabbed his arm again he didn't growl or pull away and glanced at his wife with something akin to concern in his dark eyes.

Without straining herself, Ororo was able to help Kitty get a still very tired and sluggish Logan back up on the bed. He laid there on his stomach with a grunt, struggling to keep his fluttering eyelids open and not bothering to reposition his arms that were spread out by his sides.

Kitty helpfully picked up the blanket from the floor and gave it to Ororo to drape over him. When Logan started to snore, Kitty's eyes went wide with surprise. "Wow, I think he's like asleep already."

Ororo smiled faintly and nodded. "He's really quite exhausted. It'll serve him well to rest for a good long while."

Retrieving her backpack with a nod, Kitty quietly padded to the door.

"Thank you for staying," Ororo called after the girl softly.

"Sure, no problem." With a small wave, Kitty left the loft.

With her feet and back feeling a little achy and a wave of mild fatigue washing over her, Ororo thought it might be a good idea for her to lie down again. More or less waddling over to her side of the bed, she carefully got settled, trying not to jar her sleeping feral too much. Stacking the pillows behind her to support her back, Ororo relaxed with a soft sigh and closed her eyes, hands resting over her stomach.

When Logan moved beside her and there was a hitch in his growly snoring, Ororo went still for a moment, thinking she'd woken him. He only rolled toward her and sleepily cuddled against her side, his head resting next to her belly as he resumed snoring again. "I love you, Logan," Ororo murmured with a soft sigh, lightly brushing back the hair at his temple.

.

Logan slept all day and through the night, only waking twice to use the bathroom. While he was up Ororo made him rehydrate with water or Gatorade and then he went back to sleep. He seemed stronger each time he woke, more confident on his feet and finally starting to look a little rested.

Opening her eyes as she felt warm sunshine on her skin, Ororo smiled at Logan's sleeping face in front of her. They were both lying on their sides, facing one another. Without even looking outside she could tell that the storm from the day before had passed. As much as she would like to lie there watching Logan sleep, the baby was pressing on her bladder and she really needed to pee. She tip-toed to the bathroom (as well as a seven months pregnant woman _could _tip-toe), relieving herself and then deciding to take a quick shower.

She left the bathroom fifteen minutes later, wrapped in a towel and finding Logan crouched by the foot of the bed. He got up when he saw her, striding over quickly and getting in her personal space, nuzzling her neck and sniffing at her affectionately. "Good morning, love," Ororo greeting him with a soft laugh as his facial hair tickled her, her shoulders hunching.

Logan leaned back slightly and then forward again to nuzzle at the other side of her neck, growling lovingly against her warm skin, inhaling her freshly-showered scent.

Ororo slowly wrapped one arm around him, keeping her towel up with the other hand and lightly scratching at the nape of his neck. He continued making soft, growly noises, and then she began to realize that the nonsensical growls were actually starting to sound like words. Ororo clung to him and listened carefully.

"_Rrr…'roro…hrrnhh…luh'v…you…rrn…"_

"_Logan," _Ororo breathed as she leaned back, gently holding his face between her hands and forgetting about hanging onto her towel. Tears gathered in her eyes, and her mouth twitched into a watery smile. "You…you just—You said—"

"_Hrrn." _Logan tipped his head forward and put his hands on her forearms, looking into her eyes. His brown orbs were like pools of dark chocolate, swirling with emotion. _"Luh'v…you 'Rrro."_

Ororo wasn't sure what came over her. Maybe it was the hormones, maybe it was just the relief that he was trying…he was _trying_ to come back to her, _for_ her and their baby, but she just started sobbing. Uncontrollable, wracking sobs that shook her entire frame. She must have scared Logan, because he let out a low whine and suddenly scooped her in his strong arms, carrying her over to the bed. She nearly lost her towel, but she didn't care. He laid her down gently and curled around her awkward pregnant body, enveloping her with all his limbs and pressing his face into her damp hair.

.


	11. Chapter 11

**Note: **Happy Saturday! Thanks to everyone supporting this story! Another long update for you guys. Hope you enjoy. :)

**Coming up: **Kitty has a little accident, Ororo gets a check-up, and Logan has dinner with the family!

**Eleven**

Rogue tried to keep Logan occupied in the evening after school while Ororo was getting a checkup in the med lab with Hank, and so far things were going surprisingly well. The weather was nice, if a little cool, so she'd taken him outside, and Logan appeared genuinely relieved to be out on the grounds. Rogue knew that Ororo hadn't really been feeling up to long walks outside while she was in the last months of her pregnancy, and since the early labor scare she was supposed to be taking it easy. That was good for Ororo, but Rogue could tell that Logan was suffering because he hadn't wanted to stray too far from his wife's side.

While walking around the pool house, Rogue noticed Logan stop abruptly, standing to his full height and tilting his chin upwards. He was practically standing on his toes, head tipping slightly to one side, his ears twitching faintly. Rogue was about to ask him what was up when his stance suddenly changed and he bolted toward the side of the mansion on all fours. "Logan, wait!" she yelled, chasing after him, though she knew there was no chance in hell she'd catch up. He was far too fast.

As though realizing he was leaving her behind, Logan skidded to a stop and ran back to her, whining desperately and reaching out his arms like he was about to pick Rogue up and toss her over his shoulder in order to take her with him.

"No, don't!" Rogue shrieked instinctively, holding out her gloved hands to keep him at bay and taking a step back.

Logan gave an exasperated grunt, brows furrowed, not understanding her resistance.

"Mah…mah skin," Rogue tried to explain. Her shoulders and midriff were bare with the top she had on, and since Logan wasn't wearing a shirt, if he tried to pick her up they'd probably make skin contact. "Ah'll hurt'cha," she said slowly. "Yah can't touch mah skin, remember?"

Logan whined again and appeared reluctant to take off, though it was obvious he was desperate to do so for some reason. "Grr…go..nnnow," he managed to rumble out.

Rogue heaved a sigh. "Ah dunno what's gotten inta you, but it's gotta be somethin' important. Just go without me. Ah'll try an' catch up." She waved at him to leave, and after a moments pause, Logan dropped to all fours and dashed off again, not stopping this time to see if she was still behind him.

Although not nearly in the mood for a sprint, Rogue raced after the feral mutant. When he rounded the corner of the mansion and disappeared, she could only hope that she'd be able to get him in her sights again once she'd followed.

Rogue was starting to lose her breath as she darted across the front of the mansion, finally spying Logan several yards ahead at a standstill beneath a big oak tree off the side of the garage. As she got closer she heard a high-pitched, muffled keening that was definitely not coming from Logan, and then realized that the feral was crouched over a pink and blue clad form in the grass. Kitty!

"What happened?!" Rogue exclaimed, rushing over.

Kitty blinked up at her, tears in her blue eyes, a scrape on her cheek and a bruise on her forehead. "I fell out of the stupid tree," she muttered, trying to stifle her tears and put on a brave face despite her obvious pain.

Logan circled anxiously on all fours, leaning close every few steps and gently nudging at her with his forehead and nose.

"What's he doing?" Kitty asked, hissing in pain as Logan brushed against her left arm. He jumped back and whined softly in concern.

Rogue leaned back slightly and studied Logan for a moment. "Ah think he's checkin' tah see if ya'll are okay."

"My arm hurts," Kitty moaned, trying to sit up, only for Logan to scoop her into his arms with shocking gentleness, holding her against his chest. "Ow, ow, ow," Kitty cried, a few more stubborn tears leaking out the corners of her eyes.

Logan made a low, distressed sound and swiftly began carrying the girl toward the mansion.

"It's okay Kitty, we'll get'cha tah the med lab." Rogue had to jog slightly to keep up with Logan's pace and make sure he was going the right way, but it seemed as though he knew exactly what he was doing and where he had to go.

Once inside, Logan went straight for the elevators that would take them to the med lab instead of using the stairs like he normally did. There was a sense of urgency with his movements, and Rogue could tell that he just wanted to get Kitty help as quickly as possible and wasn't concerned about his own discomforts. Being enclosed in the elevator seemed to make him really edgy and feeling trapped, more-so than when he was in rooms or corridors without a view to the outside.

.

"Alright Ororo, you're all set. Everything looked good on the ultrasound; the baby appears to be very healthy and developing normally," Hank informed her with a big grin.

She sighed softly in relief and stared in happy awe at the grainy photograph Henry handed her. "Thank you, Hank. I can't wait to show Logan."

Hank lifted his head slightly, brows furrowed. "Well, I don't think you'll have to wait long. It appears as though he's coming this way now."

Ororo blinked at him in confusion. Hank's senses were much keener than the average human's, though not as acute as Logan's, but surely he was mistaken. Logan didn't often go down in the mansion's lower levels or anywhere near the infirmary voluntarily or without her accompaniment. Just as she had opened her mouth to question the furry blue doctor, Logan came bursting into the lab with a disheveled Kitty in his arms and a slightly out-of-breath Rogue on his heels.

"Oh my," Hank breathed, mouth agape.

"Kitty fell out of a tree," Rogue explained quickly. "Logan found 'er."

_"Hrr…hurrrt," _Logan rumbled.

"Goddess, Kitty, are you alright?" Ororo asked with concern.

The teenager turned her head away from Logan's chest slowly and winced, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I'm a little scraped up and my left arm hurts," she admitted softly.

Rogue's jaw dropped in astonishment as Logan took a step toward Hank and growled out what could have been a garbled phrase of some sort, possibly a request that he do something for Kitty. She leaned over to Ororo. "Uh, he's not attacking Beast. Not that Ah'm complainin', but…why ain't he attackin' 'im?" she whispered in disbelief.

"They came to a sort of understanding yesterday," Ororo whispered back with a small smile. "He doesn't view Henry as a threat any longer. In fact, I think he's starting to remember that Beast is a healer and his friend."

Rogue blinked. "Oh."

Hank moved slowly toward the empty medical bed. "You can set her down over here, Logan. I'll have a look."

_"Hrrh… Heeelp?" _Logan's dark eyes flitted to Ororo for reassurance.

She smiled at him with a slight nod. "It's alright. Hank's going to help her."

Logan put Kitty down on the bed gently, but remained protectively at her side.

Ororo was silently amused by his overprotective display. It appeared to her as though Logan was taking a paternal stance with the teen, as he had sort of done similarly with Rogue. It became even more clear to her how Logan really saw most of the students as his family, an extension to herself and the baby she carried. They were part of his pack, and it was his duty to care for them and protect them, just as it was his duty to care for and protect her and the baby.

"Alright, Kitty, let's have a look at that arm."

Ororo moved to stand beside Logan as Hank looked Kitty over, gently picking up her injured arm and carefully bending it at the elbow and wrist.

"Ouch!" Kitty hissed in pain, wincing.

_"Rrrr!" _Logan instantly growled at Hank, jerking toward the doctor across the bed.

Ororo held tight to his arm, stroking it soothingly and pulling him back. "It's okay Logan, he's not trying to hurt her." She glanced apologetically at Hank with a grimace. "I'm sorry, I should probably get him out of here."

"It's quite alright, Ororo. No harm done." Hank nodded in understanding and then apologized to Kitty for unintentionally causing her more pain. "We're going to need to take some X-rays of that arm, but first I want to clean up that scrape on your cheek and check for a concussion."

Kitty grimaced.

"Come on Logan, let's go." Ororo tried to steer him toward the door, but he resisted.

"Suh…stay!" he protested with a frown.

Rogue stepped closer. "It's okay, I'll stay with Kitty," she tried to assure him.

Logan's brows furrowed uneasily, his gaze darting back to the teen on the bed. _"Hrr?"_

"I'll be fine Logan." Kitty worked up a smile for him. "Thank you for carrying me here."

Tilting his head momentarily, Logan looked between Kitty and Hank, scrutinizing the big blue beast carefully as if warning Hank that if anything happened to the girl while she was in his care, he would surely pay. Logan finally gave a sharp snort and then edged back toward Ororo.

"Don't worry, we'll check up on her in a little while." Ororo patted her husband's shoulder and managed to get him to the doorway. Remembering the ultrasound photo in her other hand, she smiled. "I've got something to show you once we get upstairs."

Logan gave her a peculiar look, still reluctant to leave Kitty, but going along with Ororo anyway because in his mind her needs outweighed his own.

.

"Logan, look." Ororo held out the ultrasound photo to him as she sat on the edge of their bed.

He padded toward her curiously, reaching out and gently plucking the photo from her hand. Peering at the grainy black and white image for a long moment, Logan crouched in front of Ororo and then looked up at her, an unvoiced question showing on his face.

"That's our baby, Logan," she said softly, a slow smile spreading across her face.

"Hnnh?" He leaned closer, looking at the photo again in one hand while reaching out with the other and placing his palm tenderly against Ororo's rounded stomach. _"Baaaby." _

"That's right," Ororo nodded, her smile widening, "It's a picture of the baby inside my belly."

Logan tilted his head, and Ororo would swear she saw a small grin appear. He stared at her rounded stomach, the thin fabric of her shirt stretched tight over the bulge, his hand remaining still. Leaning forward, he rested his cheek against her and made a soft huffing noise when he felt the baby kick.

Ororo laughed at his reaction and smiled, pushing her fingers through his wild hair and then lightly cupping his cheek when he looked up at her. "I'm a little tired, Logan. Would you take a nap with me?"

He stood up and pressed his face into the crook of her neck, sniffing softly. "Hnnh."

Taking that as a yes, Ororo wiggled backwards on top of the covers, reaching for the throw blanket to pull over her. She curled on her side, the only comfortable position for her heavily pregnant body, and watched Logan amble towards her, reverently placing the ultrasound photo on the night table.

Logan climbed onto the bed, and despite his dirty pants and feet from running around outside with Rogue, Ororo didn't mind so much at the moment as he cuddled against her. He was snug and warm and solid against her back, an arm draped protectively around her stomach.

.

Hunger finally forced Ororo to rouse from her nap, and when she sat up in bed, quickly realized that Logan was gone. She got up to use the bathroom, finding that he wasn't there or out on the balcony either. Wondering if maybe he'd gone downstairs to get something to eat, Ororo slipped her swollen feet into a comfortable pair of old slippers and left the loft.

Logan didn't stray far from her often, but when he did there was usually a reason for it. A thought occurred to her as she carefully made her way down the loft steps, one hand on the rail and the other on her belly; he'd probably gone to check up on Kitty.

As she walked down toward the hall where the students' rooms were, moving quietly and realizing it was nearing dinner time, Rogue rounded a corner ahead, and Ororo gave her a little wave.

"Hey, Ororo."

"Rogue, how's Kitty doing? Is she still down in the med lab?"

"She's okay. Mr. McCoy said she's got a mild concussion an' she fractured her left arm. He put a cast on it and sent her to 'er room with some pain meds tah rest." Rogue jerked her thumb to the door of their shared bedroom. "Ah was just gonna check up on 'er tah see if wants tah come down for dinner or if she wants me tah bring 'er somethin'."

"I'll go, Rogue," Ororo offered. "I'd like to see how Kitty's doing."

"Okay. Are ya'll comin' down for dinner tonight? You an' Logan?"

Pursing her lips thoughtfully, Ororo nodded and then gave a tentative smile. "I think we'll give it a try. Logan's been very good around Hank recently. Would you let the professor know?"

"Sure." Rogue smiled and started to walk away.

"Oh, Rogue," Ororo called after her.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen Logan recently by any chance?"

The pale teen's brows furrowed slightly and she shook her head. "No, not since earlier in the med lab."

"Alright. Thank you." Ororo sighed softly and then went over to Kitty's bedroom door, turning the knob slowly and then gently pushing the door open. She shouldn't have been surprised to find Logan inside. She _was_ surprised, however, to see him perched on the teenager's dresser, watching over Kitty as she laid on her bed, fast asleep.

Logan glanced at Ororo and snorted softly, hopping down from his guard perch and landing nimbly with barely a sound.

_"What are you doing?" _she whispered so as not to disturb the injured girl on the bed. Although she was sure she already knew the answer, Ororo had wanted to ask anyway.

He made a soft huffing noise and then ambled over to the side of Kitty's bed. The girl was sporting a bright pink cast on her left arm, and the scrape on her cheek made her complexion appear all the more pale. _"Hnnh."_ Logan crouched slightly and leaned forward, giving a few sniffs at the sleeping teen and then rocking back to look up at Ororo, head tilted.

_"Checking up on her?" _Ororo whispered softly, moving closer to her husband and placing her hand on his shoulder. When he grunted in reply and rose from his crouch, she said quietly, "It's nearly time for dinner. I have to wake her up to see if she feels up to eating something."

Logan made a noise in his throat, brows slightly furrowed, but he moved out of the way.

"Kitty?" Ororo gently put her hand on the teen's shoulder. "Kitty, sweetheart, wake up."

"Hm?" Her eyelids fluttered sleepily, brows furrowing.

_"Nnfh!" _Logan made a noise and leaned forward.

"How are you feeling?" Ororo asked the girl softly, pulling her hand back and grabbing onto Logan's shoulder to try and keep him from invading Kitty's personal space. She wanted to allow the poor concussed child to get her bearings before they crowded her any further.

_"Okay," _she murmured groggily, squinting up at them. _"Mr. McCoy gave me pain meds." _Kitty cracked a yawn, her eyes threatening to close again.

Ororo smiled. "That's good. But it's time for dinner. Would you like to come downstairs?"

There was a long pause, and Kitty yawned again. "I'm not all that hungry."

"Alright. We'll bring you up something later; how's that sound?"

_"Okay. Thanks." _Kitty's eyes closed again abruptly and she wiggled a little, snuggling deeper into her pillow.

_"Hn!" _Logan lurched forward, alarmed at the teenager's sudden drop back to unconsciousness.

"She's fine, Logan. Let her sleep." Ororo gently guided her husband away from Kitty's bedside and herded him toward the doorway.

Out in the hallway, Logan started to head back in the direction of the loft and Ororo called him back softly. He stopped and turned, tilting his head in question and grunting, jerking an arm toward the hallway.

"Uh-uh." Ororo shook her head, smiling gently and waving Logan back over to her. "We're not going back to the loft for dinner tonight. We're going to join the others in the dining room. Come on."

Huffing out a breath, Logan trotted toward her and walked along at her side, standing mostly upright but slightly hunched over.

Ororo sent him another smile and reached for his hand. He looked up when she grasped it, but she said nothing and just continued walking, her other hand resting on her baby bump.

.

Rogue sat down at the table with the others, looking at the empty chairs that the Professor had specifically left side-by-side for Ororo and Logan. Their table settings were placed strategically at one end of the table, Rogue guessed so Logan wouldn't feel boxed in. She noticed that Hank was sitting very far away at the opposite end of the large rectangular table just in case, as were Scott and Jean. As far as Rogue knew, Logan hadn't encountered either of the two teens since the day Scott blasted him into a wall, and that had been over a week ago.

She turned and smiled when Ororo entered the dining room with Logan, holding tightly to his hand. As Ororo took the seat next to her nephew, leaving the chair at the end for Logan, Rogue watched her feral mentor give the entire table a wary sweep. His sharp, dark eyes lingered on Scott, and she tensed as his upper lip twitched into a snarl and a deep, audible rumble echoed from his chest.

Just when Rogue was expecting there to be a problem, she heard Professor Xavier in her head, calmly telling everyone not to react. Ororo squeezed Logan's hand and rubbed his shoulder, whispering something that appeared to calm him as he reluctantly took a seat.

Once they were all pretty sure that Logan was settled, the food began to get passed around the large rectangular table until everyone had a full plate, the feral's doubly so. Rogue couldn't help but be sort of fascinated by Logan's behavior, glancing at him every once in a while. He waited until Ororo took her first few bites before even touching his plate, then dug in with gusto, ignoring the silverware and shoveling food into his mouth with his hands.

.

Ororo didn't bother trying to correct Logan's sloppy eating. She was just glad they were able to sit at the dining table with everyone, even if she was a little saddened by some of the gaping stares. Just the fact that they were there at all was a step forward for Logan.

Trying not to worry so much about what her husband was doing, Ororo tried to focus on her own meal while engaging in conversation with the others around the table.

"Kitty didn't wanna come down to eat?" Rogue asked suddenly, drawing the older woman's attention.

"No, she was very tired. I told her I'd bring her something later, though."

"I warned her to be careful climbing trees," Jean said from the other end of the table, overhearing their conversation. "Something was bound to happen," she murmured with a soft sigh and slight shake of her head.

"Too bad she's not as good at landing on her feet as her namesake, right?" Evan quipped lightly.

Ororo gave her nephew's shoulder a light shove and a warning, "Evan."

"What?" He shrugged with a sheepish look and continued eating.

"Hey man, it's no fair to joke about Kitty when she's not around to tease back," Kurt said, blowing a raspberry at Evan and winking.

Glancing to her side, Ororo noticed that Logan had finished his plate and was watching them intently as they all teased and chatted, laughing and joking. He looked lost and out of place, unable to join in.

Logan swiped a forearm across his chin to get rid of some of the food remnants. He downed a glass of water and shoved his chair back from the table with a grunt before standing.

The room went quiet as all the students suddenly stopped talking or eating. The professor cleared his throat, a subtle way for him to draw attention away from their feral teammate's abrupt actions.

Ororo put her fork down and looked to her husband questioningly. "Logan?"

_"Mmph." _He snorted and then looked away before loping off on all fours out of the dining room.

Assuming the snort was somehow a signal for her not to follow him, Ororo just watched his departure with a measure of concern until he was out of her sight. Normally if he wanted her to go with him he'd stop and turn to check if she was coming, but he didn't do that this time. Frowning, she twisted back around in her chair to face the table again with a sigh.

.

Having recruited Jean to bring Kitty her food after dinner, Ororo made her way up to the loft. Her mood had shifted drastically, and she was feeling pretty grouchy. To top it all off her feet were killing her, and Ororo suddenly longed for the nights after difficult missions or training sessions where she and Logan would just lie in bed, and he would pull her feet into his lap and massage them while they watched TV. Getting an idea, Ororo smiled to herself and walked into her room. Now all she had to do was find Logan.

Hearing a noise out on the balcony, Ororo knew she should have realized he wouldn't be too far. She sensed the shifting of the wind, and then a moment later her husband was ambling through the open glass doors.

Getting a look at him, Ororo momentarily pursed her lips in thought. Logan was covered in muck from outside, his bare feet practically black with dirt. He had twigs and leaves in his hair, and his pants were torn in several places. She sighed, deciding that a shower was in order before she could relax with him.

Logan ambled toward her standing mostly upright, head down, shoulders hunched, defeated.

Confused and concerned by the behavior, Ororo opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong when he suddenly dropped to his haunches at her feet, head bowed low. She recognized it as a submissive display.

_"M'sorry."_

His low, growly voice surprised her slightly. She gently put her hand on top of his head and would have knelt down before him if she wasn't so heavily pregnant. "Why are you sorry?" He seemed to crouch lower in shame. "Logan. Logan, please look at me. Why are you sorry?" Ororo reached for his scruffy chin, gently lifting it. "Talk to me, love."

He heaved out a breath and met her eyes slowly, but still didn't rise from his crouch. His face contorted with frustration as he struggled to come up with words. _"M'not…rrnn…nuh-nnnot like…oth'rrrs."_

Ororo wasn't sure she understood what he meant at first, then it slowly dawned on her. At dinner, his abrupt departure. She figured Logan was upset by the way everyone interacted with one another, the way they all ate neatly, with forks and knives, giving him odd looks when he messily shoveled food in his mouth with his hands. Perhaps if it wasn't for her stupid pregnancy brain she would have picked up on it sooner. Ororo understood why he'd looked so lost, and it broke her heart.

"Logan," she said in a quaking voice. She cupped his face in both hands and urged him to stand. "Don't be sorry my love, _please. _You have _nothing _to be sorry for, understand? I am not ashamed of you, Logan. Nor have I ever been. You are this way because something terrible was done to you, something that you had no control over."

His nose twitched a little and a low noise came from his throat. He breathed in and out heavily and slowly leaned forward until his head was resting against her shoulder.

Ororo put her arms around him and made a mental note to talk to Professor Xavier about Logan, how his awareness and understanding seemed to come and go sometimes. Maybe Charles could work with him telepathically now that Logan was getting better around people. She pushed a hand through her husband's tangled, gritty hair. "Let's have a shower, hm?"

.

Feeling clean and refreshed, the shower having helped loosen up some of her aching muscles, Ororo dressed in a long, loose nightgown and offered Logan a pair of boxer briefs before she climbed onto the bed. She adjusted the pillows behind her and got settled comfortably as Logan pulled up his shorts and then leapt with impressive grace and agility, landing on the wooden footboard. "Logan, would you do something for me?"

He tilted his head at her, brow slightly furrowed. "Nn?"

"Come here." Ororo smiled warmly, encouragingly at him as she waved him forward.

Logan climbed down from the footboard and crawled across the large bed, sitting with folded legs in the middle of the mattress beside his pregnant wife.

"Could you massage my feet?" She asked softly, raising a foot and wiggling her toes. "They're so sore from carrying all this extra baby weight."

He just blinked at her, staring blankly.

"Here, let me show you." Ororo sat up and reached for his hand. Logan scooted a little closer and gave her a funny look when she started massaging his rough, callused hand between both of her soft, delicate ones. "See? Like this."

Appearing to understand what she wanted, Logan drew his hand back from hers and squirmed around a little until he was sitting cross-legged near the end of the bed. He pulled Ororo's feet into his lap, and tilted his head, looking to her for assurance that he was doing the right thing. _"Oh…kay?"_

She smiled at him, nodding encouragingly. Ororo settled back against her stacked pillows again as Logan clumsily squeezed and worked his hands along her achy feet, pressing his fingers into her soles. Reaching for the remote on the nightstand to her left, Ororo turned on the television, momentarily startling Logan with the noise. "It's alright," she said softly, flicking through the channels before settling on a random movie and feeling herself relax. For a moment it was the way things used to be between her and Logan, and she let her eyes drift shut, fantasizing about future family outings with their child, just quiet, domestic little moments that made the worries of the outside world simply disappear.

.


End file.
